Reality Bites
by TotalOtaku07
Summary: Ren and Kyoko are starring in a new drama that may finally get them together as a couple... or not - because someone from Ren's past is about to intervene. Will the two ever have their happily ever after despite all of these unexpected antagonists?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: REALITY BITES**

**Chapter 1:** When the Decisions were made

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat, though I wish I did. I'd love to own Kyoko and Ren and all the rest of them characters so I can do anything I want with them. But I guess this fanfic will just have to suffice (sigh).

Setting: Supposedly a month after Ren's predicted accident during the Dark Moon shoot / Cain & Setsu Heel Arc.

Note: Thank you Alanis Morisette for your song which is the theme for the drama I came up with. Thank you for the great fanfic writers for writing the awesome fanfics about Ren & Kyoko and inspiring me to write one of my own, finally. (I did write once, but failed to finish it.. haha)

* * *

Ecstatic will be an understatement to describe what she is feeling now. For the past month, though she had many on-going projects, things seemed pretty dull. Maybe because Dark Moon has taken a break in filming due to Ren Tsuruga's absence, filling a lot of her time with empty spaces. She has more time for school now, though, and some other ocassional LoveMe duties, but she seemed to have lost a bit of her fervor. She didn't know why. Moko-san sometimes would scold her for fading out while they were talking about her bestfriends complaints with her current co-stars and some other general stuff. Those times when she would think about how she missed being being Setsu - cooking for her Nii-san and watching her Nii-san sleep. She wondered how he is doing now... and then she'd feel Moko-san's fist on top of her head, right at that tender spot, shouting at her to come back to reality.

So when the call came from Sawara-san that afternoon, she was more than thrilled and said YES right away, without asking for details. Especially when he told her it's not a bully role this time. Too excited, she got off the phone to respond to President Takarada's invitation. He was walking with his entourage, dressed like a Mob Boss, complete with a bright yellow gold chain around his neck and a hawaiian shirt underneath a crisp white suit, when he saw her walking while talking on the phone, and motioned for her to accompany him. She immediately complied, apologizing to Sawara-san for hanging up on him so suddenly.

"I see you're quite happy today, Mogami-kun" the LME President greeted, his eyes covered by dark sunglasses.

"Yes, Mr. President, I just spoke with Sawara-san about a new drama offer" she answered, after bwoing down to him, of course.

"Ah, so Sawara has told you. That's good. I was hoping I could tell you myself first, but that is alright. I hope you are most willing to accept it?" he asked with a tone full of sweetness and hope and so unlike a Mob Boss.

"Yes, Of course! I never thought I'd graduate from those bully-roles" she exclaimed rather loudly, then chastised herself "though I'm not saying I don't like my current roles" thinking about her adoptive Father "I am most happy to try out something different though" she said, looking down shyly.

"Ah.. That's good to hear. We can't say for sure, but who knows, maybe this will be your ticket out of LoveMe Division" the President answered. Kyoko could almost see the twinkle in his eyes.

Before she could reply after recovering from her astonishment, however, the President mentioned his other good news. "And also, I want to tell you that Ren-kun will be returning to Japan next week".

She didn't know exactly what happened, but something seemed to light up inside her.

"Tsu- Tsurugan-san!" she exclaimed with happiness.

"But is he already recovered? Will he be okay coming back to work so soon?" she suddenly relented, as if being happy for her senpai's imminent return was such a bad thing.

"Oh, he's completely well now. In fact, the man can't be dissuaded from coming back to work" Lory explained.

"Well, knowing Tsuruga-san, he's probably already worried about his work. He's such a professional. But really, he should think more about himself." she answered, drifting off, being preoccupied by something for which the LME President became curious of.

_More like he can't keep away from you, any longer, Mogami-kun; if you only knew how lovesick that young man is,_ he thought, looking at the young actress before him. _And I can't wait to tell him that his disappearance has affected you so.. hmmm_

"I'm thinking of holding a simple welcome party for him, with Maria's insistence, of course. And she has requested of your contribution as well, Mogami-kun"

"I will be glad to help, just tell me when and where!" she said as she clapped her hands.

They parted after the President has given her the details of the welcome party's preparation. He decided to hold off telling her that the drama offer she has just received is also a new LoveMe project and that she will get to spend more time with her beloved senpai once it starts.

Kyoko thought that this day is one happy day. She just received a new project and she just found out that her senpai will be coming home soon. It seems rather selfish, but she brushed this feeling aside, concentrating on the welcome party project at hand - about the cakes she will bake and the poster to make, etc etc. Nothing could definitely go wrong.

Then, she didn't know how very wrong she was.

* * *

A month has passed that he didn't play any role. He didn't even play Ren Tsuruga. He had come close to losing his life in more than one ocassion before, when he was younger and more rebellious. But his most recent brush with death shook him more than anything else, because he realized he had so much more to lose now than before - even things he thinks he might never gain, such as her affection, flashed before his eyes, moments before the windshield of the car came crashing down upon him and he found himself facing the dark and cold asphalt. He realized he'd rather live without her returning his affection, than not live without seeing her or being by her side.

Julie has fussed over him for the past month, turning down modeling offers and commercial projects to be with her beloved son. He didn't know what came over him that he failed to say "NO" when she pleaded for him to come back to America to recuperate. He even took a break from filming Dark Moon. Good thing that Director Ogata was more than accomodating, being badly shaken up for almost losing the lead star of his drama. That, and Dark Moon's ratings increased more than 50% after the accident, and the fans gladly welcoming reruns of previous episodes to fill-in the episodes they failed to shoot because of Ren Tsuruga's absence.

He was thankful for his sudden plunge into anonymity. In America, he's not much of a big star as he is in Japan. He'd seen some clips in late night talk shows about his accident, but not much more. Even his secret hiding place in the west was kept top secret indeed. They were oblivious to the fact that he had lived for the past month as his TRUE self, reverting even to his original hair color and discarding his dark contact lenses.

Apart from regular family dinners, in which he became full just by watching his father snarf all edible things on their table and going with his mother on seemingly endless and boundless shopping trips, he used his time thinking and reflecting on things he needed to do. Then 3 weeks into the longest vacation he's ever had, he received a call from the President.

"I hope you can come back by early next month. I have a new drama for you" President Lory introed.

"What about my other role, what about Cain?"

"You will have time to finish the filming within next month. And the month after, you will have time to start this new project."

"What is so special about it? You forced me to come here and encouraged me to stay even longer, now you want me to return so quickly" he couldn't resist the temptation to challenge the man, despite his curiosity.

Lory chuckled, "I apologize, Oh mighty one. Would you be more interested if I tell you that you will be acting beside Mogami-kun this time?"

Ren almost choked. He tried not to think about her, but things and circumstances just go back to her and her alone, making him even more desperate to see her again.

"We will be telling her about the project by next week and I have a feeling she will definitely say yes" the President teased.

"Hmm.. and why are you so certain about that?"

"Oh, you know how Mogami-kun would want to graduate from her bully image.." the man answered matter-of-fact "and for her, this will be a new LoveMe Project" he added. The last few words were left hanging in the air.

That definitely meant something.

Ren issued an almost imperceptible groan.

"If it's you, I think, with this drama, she may even graduate from LoveMe" the Love-lover added.

"And if I say NO?" the young actor retorted.

"Then you will be passing a once-in-your-pitiful-lifetime opportunity. You will regret it even until you reach the afterlife" the boss answered with seriousness that is unknown of him.

"I wonder why you even called me" he countered and the other man laughed on the line.

"Oh you know how much I wanted to tease you, Ren-kun"

Their conversation ended with them finalizing the details of his return to Japan. The president also assured him that he will take care of his parents, especially his mother, who is most definitely going to disagree of him leaving their home on such short notice.

He is facing the inevitable now. He may either do so or hide forever. It's either he let the demons out and get it over with or be plagued by nightmares all his days. If he did the former, he may lose his chance of being by her side and earning her forgiveness. He may. But if he did the latter, he will just be reinforcing the fact that he, a pitiful coward, doesn't and will never deserve her.

* * *

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: REALITY BITES**

**Chapter 2:** When her heart did skip a beat (and so did his)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat, though I wish I did. I'd love to own Kyoko and Ren and all the rest of them characters so I can do anything I want with them. But I guess this fanfic will just have to suffice (sigh).

Setting: Supposedly a month after Ren's predicted accident during the Dark Moon shoot / Cain & Setsu Heel Arc.

* * *

The days that passed by seemed like forever. Yet, they seemed to pass by so quickly as well. A week ago, Kyoko found out about the new drama from Sawara-san and Tsuruga-san's return from the President. She filmed for several days for Box R, afterwhich, Maria would pick her up from the set, showering her praises about how beautiful and scary her "Natsu-sama" was and endlessly asking her whether or not Natsu-sama liked voodoo and withcraft. "She's like an evil queen" Maria even commented once. Then, they would spend the entire night planning Tsuruga-san's party at the Takarada estate. They have finished designing the LME ballroom which the President specifically reserved for the special ocassion. The last they prepared was the menu list, minding not to include too many sweets, as Tsuruga-san is not so fond of those. The program has already been finished. Maria will play a piece she recently learned from her piano classes while Kyoko will supervise the cooking and the cake-making (the cake will be made with bitter chocolate and light cream to please Tsuruga-san and protect his wonderful figure). Kyoko was always sent home by Maria's driver. This became their routine except for the day when Kyoko had to play Bo. She can't let Maria know yet, for the girl will surely tell Tsuruga-san. And who knows what'll happen after that (she always shivered when she thought of this). Being Bo had always been fun, though being in the chicken suit reminded her so much of Tsuruga-san- the way he was so candid and honest with Bo. She wished she, as Kyoko, had that kind of relationship with him.

_What? How dare you even contemplate about such Mogami Kyoko? You are nothing but a lowly kohai. In fact, you don't deserve to be called his kohai!_

She would shake her head to chase the images of his smiling face while talking to Bo the chicken. He's probably more comfortable saying something personal to a mascot than to her. He's just a good and respectable senpai, that's why he even accomodates her. She made a mental note to stop herself from requesting too much help from him once he returns.

Right now, she's walking along the hallways of LME, freshly changed into her pink LoveMe uniform, to meet Sawara-san in his office. She hasn't been so happy like this in quite a while. She even had the chance to "ambush" her bestfriend in the LoveMe room while they were both changing into their LoveMe uniforms.

As always, she had tried to embrace Moko-san, but ended up clinging to her right leg, while the black haired girl tried to kick her off "Mou! I'm going to be late already!"

Her week seemed to turn out fine.

She knocked on Sawara-san's door and was immediately asked to come in.

"It's good to see you Kyoko-chan. It's about time you came and get this" the old man greeted, handing her a semi-thick sheaf of papers. On the cover it read "**Right Behind You**". She looked incredulously at her supervisor.

"That's the script for your new drama" he answered.

"Oh. Thank you very much Sawara-san!" she exclaimed. Even the title of the drama seemed nice. It doesn't sound like a Princess story. Nonetheless, as Sawara-san said, her role will not be that of a bully this time, so it doesn't even matter if she played just a minor supporting part.

"Anou-Sawara-san, do you mind if I read this here?" she asked

"No problem, Kyoko-chan. Only until 2 PM though, because the President has scheduled a meeting with you in his office at 2 PM today."

"Oh? Well, I still have 45 minutes to read then" she answered, a bit curious as to the nature of her meeting with the President, as she settled at the nearby armchair.

The script was divided into 2 parts. The first part outlined the characters of the story, from the main to the supporting. The first character profile was that of a young woman. Her character name was Aiki Kamejima and she's the main character. It said that the story revolves around her, her thoughts and her life, which Kyoko read, amounts to nothing much. She's a train station cashier and a hotel maid. She will fall in love with the other main character. She flipped the page and read the profile of Keiji Hidehito. He's a manager in a local bank and lives in the hotel where Aiki works. They will meet at the train station, where Aiki will fall in love with Keiji's character. He was described as tall and handsome and is a gentleman, albeit rather msyterious. His character will be fully explored only in the later part of the drama.

Kyoko scanned the rest of the character profiles. There's the concierge at the hotel, and the train station manager, and some other minor roles. It seemed to her, this drama is all about Aiki. Then she realized that she has no idea which character she will portray.

"Erm- Sawara-san?" she interrupted her supervisor who is now stamping some paperwork almost a foot high.

"Yes, Kyoko-chan?" he answered, without looking up from his task.

"May I know which character I will play in this drama?" she implored innocently.

Sawara-san suddenly looked at her, making her feel rather guilty. She just realized she could have asked sooner and not doing so made her feel rather unprofessional.

"Didn't you know? You'll play the lead role, Kyoko-chan" he answered.

"Eh? You mean, I will play Aiki?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes. And the director will be Hirohito Ayane, he's one of the best indie film directors out there"

"Indie?" she asked, head cocked to the left.

"Indie films are not presented in the mainstream, but they are more recognized internationally because they commonly deal with societal issues and presents them with so much reality, so much like what happens in real life. Even seasoned actors find it hard to act in indie films."

"Bu-but how did Director Ayane find out about me? I never remembered auditioning for any such films?" Kyoko asked innocently, finally realizing the gravity of this new project.

"Well, Director Ayane, apparently saw Sho Fuwa's PV on television, during one of the very rare ocassions he happened to watch, and your character struck him so much. He said you portrayed agony and suffering with so much realism"

"Though he didn't like your current roles of Mio and Natsu, he felt like you just needed an avenue to play a different role and so he accepted the drama."

"Oh. That's very nice to hear, then. I hope I'd live to Director Ayane's expectations"

"Of course! There's no other option. The Production company is a long-time partner of LME. They originally wanted the drama to go against Dark Moon. But in consideration to the president, they decided that it will replace Dark Moon instead, after the show ends. And they originally thought of casting older actors and make the drama sort of a romance / comedy, but Director Ayane gave them an ultimatum - that if he ever was to direct a drama on television, he will make all the decisions"

Kyoko nodded, listening intently. It seems that the director will be a more demanding one than those she had previously worked with or are currently working for.

"Also, Director Ayane completely changed the entire feel of the drama - from light romance to a dark and solemn, almost tragic love story". Sawara-san finished.

Kyoko just nodded, but at the back of her brain, she kept asking why the President, who sees love as such a happy wonderful feeling, agreed to work with such a project and with such a director.

"I understand now" she said solemnly.

She wondered if she should back out. But her Father's words echoed inside her head. And what if Tsuruga-san finds out that she had turned down a potentially career-making role? _But Aiki's character just seemed so.. so depressing and all because she's in love with a man she barely knows! Her character is quite stupid, really, yet the story is all about her and her 'supposed love' to this Keiji guy._

"I think you should get going Kyoko-chan" Sawara-san said, pulling her out of her reverie.

She looked up at the office wall clock and true enough it's 5 minutes until 2 in the afternoon. The President will be expecting her soon.

"Thank you Sawara-san! I will get going then." she bowed and left the room.

* * *

Lory Takarada, president of LME, sat on his royal throne. Today, he decided to dress up as a medieval king - more like those featured in happy ending fairytales than the ones who ask for one of his constituents to be beheaded every other hour. He wore a purple cloak and an elaborately designed suit, complete with a lavish crown with red velvet trimmings.

Kyoko felt like a pauper begging for alms when the President's assistant showed her in. Really, she liked fairies and princesses, but not this much, she thought. If there was someone to beat her active imagination, it would be this guy who insists on making his imagination into reality - no matter how costly and ludicrous.

"Ah, my dear, lovely, Princess Kyoko" the President greeted, with smiling eyes.

Kyoko bowed to him, unsure of how to answer. Should she answer like a lady in court or just her normal self? she mused.

"Er- You asked to see me, President?" she answered, after settling down on a offered plush seat beside the King.

"Yes. I reckon you have read the script of your new drama?" the President asked.

"Yes. Sawara-san also gave me a background about Director Ayane and I - actually I-" she hesitated.

_Should I tell him I am having doubts? I know he'd be disappointed but perhaps he can explain why I should fit into this role.._

"I'm afraid you can't turn this project down, Mogami-kun" the PResident sighed with such drama.

"Bu- but, well, it's not really that I don't want this role. It's just that.." her dialogue continued into whispery wordless mumbling and her aura became dark.

To the LME President, the atmosphere suddenly turned a bit chilly. If not for his elaborate clothing, goosebumps could have covered his entire body. Her grudges have come out. It's actually been a while since this happened with him witnessing. He had almost forgotten the feeling of being subjected to her dark even thought once he was immune to them, because he was just too full of love.

"No matter what you try to say, Mogami-kun, you cannot turn down this role" he said with such seriousness, that Kyoko snapped out of her imminent conversion to some dark entity.

"Because this is your new LoveMe Project" with that, the President smiled. And it was Kyoko's turn to shiver. A few of her dark spirits even twitched and fell, dizzy with the man's powerful 'love waves'.

"And if you have successfully portrayed this role" he added, "you can officially graduate from LoveMe Division and make your debut"

"Really?" Kyoko asked, almost jumping from her seat.

The President just nodded, smiling at her.

"Then I just have to figure out Aiki's character" she murmured, looking at the script book she was holding in her hand.

A determined looked crossed her face.

This is her chance, finally. And no matter how weird and unacceptable to her the role is, she simply cannot pass up this opportunity. And coming from the President himself, this role has something uniquely important and meaningful. It seems like he is even challenging her. She remembered about Tsuruga-san and how he created his Katsuki, she remembered how hard he tried and challenged even the President. She would be even more of an unacceptable kohai if she turned this down. So she made her decision.

"I apologize for having doubts President. I accept this project wholeheartedly" she said with much enthusiasm, which is something the President clearly expected.

"Splendid! I believe you will do great Mogami-kun. And now, before you go, may I entrust you with another urgent matter?" he added.

"Absolutely Sir!" she exclaimed, standing up rigidly, with a direct salute.

"Come now, enough with such formalities! This task is quite simple really. You just have to pick up your co-star"

"Eh? Co-star?"

"Why, who else but Your KEIJI? Aiki's one true love!" he exclaimed.

Kyoko shivered at the mention of the word 'love'.

"Erm- who exactly is playing Keiji-san? And why do I have to pick him up?" she asked innocently.

"His flight will be arriving at 3 PM today" the PResident answered nonchalantly, "from America".

"He's a foreigner?" Kyoko asked astonished.

"Uhm- well, you can say that. But you know him well. You even helped prepare a welcome party for him" the President's eyes twinkled.

"Me? when?"

Then realization dawned on her. _America? Welcome Party? Foreigner?_

"Could it be that- you mean Tsu- Tsu - Tsuruga-san?"

The President smiled wistfully at her and sipped his tea.

"My driver will take you to the airport. I have assigned you to take care of Ren-kun for the rest of this afternoon and accompany him to tonight's welcome party. I trust you can cook a light dinner for him at his condo. He must have missed your cooking while he was away. And also, I've provided both your wardrobes for tonight. I've entrusted the driver with them as well. So, you go along now, Mogami-kun. We don't want Japan's number one star and your future leading man, waiting now would we?"

* * *

Kyoko sat at the back, feeling like she had been stunned or tasered or rolled over by a mack truck. Different thoughts came flooding through her brain.

_I'm playing Aiki in a love drama. I will be playing with Tsuruga-san. I will be playing a girl in love with Tsuruga-san. No! In love with Tsuruga-san's character. But I hate HATE HATE HATE LOVE! What if I fail to portray love? Tsuruga-san will definitely know if I will just be faking and I can't ask him to help me with my role this time, because I will be playing with him. And this is so unlike Mio with Katsuki. Mio hates Katsuki. She hates everyone. While Aiki loves Keiji. She is hopelessly, utterly, stupidly, grossly in love with him. So I have to be in love with Tsuruga-san? Nooooooooooo..._

Even the usually stoic and unaffected driver of the President felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

The driver cleared his throat "Kyoko-sama, we have arrived at the airport"

Kyoko snapped back to reality, but the dread in her eyes did not go away. The driver momentarily couldn't speak as he was subjected to her gaze.

"Er- I believe Tsuruga-sama's flight arrives at 3 PM and it's just 2 minutes before 3, Kyoko-sama. I think you should hurry up. I will be waiting here to take you to Tsuruga-sama's apartment"

"Y- Y- Yes. I will go now" she answered, robotically and bowed to him in gratitude before she took off walking briskly towards the terminal.

He sighed. She looked like she had just lost her soul.

* * *

His flight arrived 5 minutes earlier than scheduled. His father insisted that he take a private charter, as they all could afford one. They could afford to buy a whole airport if they wanted. But he insisted on going on a public flight, since he will be riding business class and there will be only a handful of passengers he will encounter that way. They will even have their own lobby once they disembraked. He insisted as well that his return be unpublicized.

During his travel, he wore a simple black long sleeved shirt with a pair of tan pants and a jacket of the same color. Since he left with barely some luggage, he arrived only with a semi-large carry on that he easily carried on his own. Before he left, the President called to say that he will be sending his driver and an aid to take him to his apartment. He forgot to ask who the aid will be, but he figured the person will be easy to spot as he knows almost everyone in the President's closest entourage.

Yukihito will be returning to Tokyo tonight, from his long and much deserved vacation from being Ren Tsuruga's manager. He was excited to come back immediately to pick up Ren, but the manager did not think twice when the President called to tell him that a "little delay" in his return to his duties will not be much of a trouble and that he has (that good man, that President is!) arranged Ren's "transport and welcome party" in the person of a certain LoveMe member, accordingly. Still the same, Yukihito wanted to return and watch at the side when his charge finally sees who is assigned to pick him up. Just the thought made him want to squeal in utter delight.

Ren walked towards the gate, illiciting inquisitive stares from almost everyone. But his long strides prevented them from recognizing him fully and left all those along his path enraptured and completely mystified.

He looked around behind dark sunglasses and a carefully placed headpiece (to hide his beautiful and lustrous hair, of course) but he failed to recognize anyone familiar from LME, until a sudden flash of pink caught his peripheral vision.

* * *

Kyoko walked briskly towards the gate. Only a few passengers were arriving which was fortunate for her and for Tsuruga-san. Though she had caught a lot of attention because of her rather loud getup, nobody seemed to recognize her as anyone of her alter egos on screen. She hoped her senpai was effectively dressed and disguised to make him as inconspicuous as possible. She looked around, scanning faces and profiles for body types to match her senpai. It was to her advantage that she had almost completely memorized his measurements from sheer observation alone. Even the way he walks, the arch of his back, the way he holds his head up, are as familiar to her as the back of her hand. Well, it cannot be helped. She had to learn from the best of them, might as well learn every single little thing.

So she immediately recognized the tall man in the black shirt and hooded eyes as he walked towards her.

Initially, she wanted to wave at him and smile, but as he came nearer, her breath got stuck up in her throat and her heartbeat suddenly pounded loudly to her ears, she felt like the whole world has stopped in one moment.

Then he was there, taking off his dark sunglasses, showing her his enchanting eyes.

_Enchanting? Where the hell did that come from?_

"Hello, Mogami-san. It's nice to see you again" he said, his face inches way from hers, to prevent any bystanders from seeing too much of his countenance.

She just gazed at him stupidly while her dark grudges sizzled and died one by one being subjected to the actor's warm lovely smile.

* * *

It was pink - definitely the hot and loud pink which is the color of LoveMe. Then he saw the light brown hair and frantic head looking left and right until it fixed upon him. And so he started towards her, holding his breath, and when he finally reached her, he was almost breathless, almost failed to say what his brain wanted to say, then he blurted "Hello, Mogami-san. It's nice to see you again" and smiled. He wished she can tell from his smile what he felt for her, but she just stared at him, eyes almost glazing over. He wanted to take advantage of this momentary collapse in consciousness and press his lips against hers.

And then her trance broke and she suddenly stood up straight and bowed almost down to the level of her waist.

"We- welcome back Tsuruga-san!" she said too loud, then gasped and out her pretty little hands upon her mouth. She looked around, afraid that anyone has overheard.

"Don't worry. I think nobody heard. If they did, they didn't seem to mind. Shall we go then?" he offered.

She nodded, her face still a little flushed, and she marched towards his side. She was in the act of taking his bag away when he realized what she wanted to do and he lifted his strong arm up, preventing her from taking it.

"No, you wont" he said playfully.

"But, this is my task for today" she answered worriedly.

"I can carry my own bag. Your effort in coming here to welcome me is more than enough" he said and walked towards the exit.

"But what you are still unwell and besides you must be dead tired from the long plane ride and -"

He stopped.

She gulped. _Is he angry now? Was I a bit too noisy?_

He faced her, and she was glad he had put on his dark glasses, because she can't survive another gaze from those enchanting orbs.

"I'm completely fine. The flight was most comfortable. And I am very much capable of carrying my own things. Thank you very much." and he faced away again and continued walking.

He couldn't bear looking at her too long. It makes him want to embrace her and take her away to some unknown place and do - do - stuff.

_Uh oh that was the last straw Mogami Kyoko, you pest. He's definitely pissed now._

"I didnt mean that you cannot carry your own luggage, Tsuruga-san. It was just ..."

"... my responsibility" she trailed off, afraid of adding fuel to the fire.

"Hmm.. Then as your client, I am fully taking off that responsibility from you, is that OK?" he asked lightly.

"Well.. " she answered, as she tried to keep up to his long strides, ocassionally checking up on his face to see whether he really is angry or not. It was hard to tell with those sunglasses, and he semmed to have grown taller since she saw him last. His arms seemed bigger and his shoulders wider, but he smelled just as-

_What? You're smelling him?_

She shook her head to drive the unhealthy thoughts away.

"Don't worry. You can make it up to me by cooking something for dinner at my place" he said casually.

"Really?" she clapped her hands. "Then that would be great! I'll make sure to prepare something delicious for you" she answered cheerily.

Ren almost stopped in his tracks. He was just joking and he never thought she'd agree. Maybe Yukihito put her up to this or maybe the Boss did. But thinking about her, she probably believed she needed to make it up to him. But if he took it back she'd think she offended him somehow.

_First night back and you're alone with the girl you absolutely want! Tsuruga Ren, remember she is a minor! A minor!_

Besides, she had spent some nights with him at his apartment - when they created his Katsuki and her Natsu and when she was his manager for a day and he got sick. This will be no different, he reasoned out.

But then he looked at her to tell her that her efforts are greatly appreciated, and lost his words, again. Her cheeks were flushed, maybe from walking, he didn't know, but it made her glow even more. she seemed less skinny, the contours of her body more defined (it was just a month for Pete's sake!), even her - er- chest seemed fuller (he was glad he's wearing such dark glasses because he didn't want to be caught guilty looking at her parts he should not look at).

_This will be one hell of a night, he mused. Is this the effect of not being able to "have some action" in quite a while because he was too in love with this girl that he can't afford to feel anything else for any one? When will she realize how much she affects him so? She shouldn't be too caring and accomodating, because he can easily take advantage of her. More so now, that he is determined to tell her everything._

"Here's our ride" Kyoko exclaimed, stopping by a black mercedes.

"Welcome back Tsuruga-sama, Kyoko-sama" the driver bowed and walked towards Ren to take his bag. After putting it in the trunk, he went to the driver's side immediately. The two young people, just stood there. Awkwardly fidgeting in their own little spots.

He sighed and opened the door nearest to them.

"Please go in Tsuruga-sama and Kyoko-sama. I figured you have a lot of catching up to do so you should both sit at the back" he motioned for them to sit in, his eyes smiling.

Kyoko started to protest but held herself, afraid to offend her senpai, who was waiting for her to go inside.

Reluctantly, she climbed in and settled and Ren followed. Their arms became dangerously close to each other.

Ren broke the ice by saying "It's great to be back home" as he took of her hat and sunglasses, and fully subjecting his petrified kohai to his charming aura, as they rolled away from the parking lot.

* * *

He just could not help but 'assist' the two young people at the back. He noticed when they were walking towards the car, how much they want to hold each other. When you get older, you notice things, especially when you're around the younger generation. Working at LME, he can say he has seen all sorts of things, so the relationship between these two people is no mystery to him. No wonder the President specifically instructed Kyoko-sama to pick up Tsuruga-sama. Though they try hard to contain it, they are enraptured and ecstatic in each other's presence. He chuckled silently as he drove to Tsuruga-sama's apartment. He tried not to think about the young miss spending the night at the handsome actor's residence, but he will be quite disappointed if after tonight, there will be no development in this budding relationship. The young man looked at him curiously, to which he winked in response, but then the actor pretended he didn't see a thing. It was one of those expressions of denial. He wanted to tell the boy that the more he denies, the stronger the feeling gets, and the longer he delays, the more frustrated he'll become. He looked rather pitiful, really. Who would ever know that the most coveted actor in Japan would be this pathetic in the presence of this young girl? And if only she'll realize how much power she holds in her hands, she'll be out of those pink overalls in no time.

* * *

End of Chapter 2

* * *

A rather long chapter. The plot has been playing inside my head for quite sometime. I wanted to write the "Right Behind You" as an independent fiction and not as part of any fanfics. But it just begged to be written this way and I was very much surprised how easily the words came out and placed themselves accordingly. As with everything else I write (those that have more than 3 chapters) I just let the characters grow within the story so I cannot say how this one will end. Not yet, that is.

Right Behind You is a title I just came up with while typing the draft. But the story of the drama will be based on Alanis Morisette's song Forgive Me Love. In essence, my original story will be inside this fanfic. This should be really interesting. XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **Most Wonderful "Welcome Back" party

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat, though I wish I did. I'd love to own Kyoko and Ren and all the rest of them characters so I can do anything I want with them. But I guess this fanfic will just have to suffice (sigh).

Setting: Supposedly a month after Ren's predicted accident during the Dark Moon shoot / Cain & Setsu Heel Arc.

* * *

President Lory's plush sedan parked beside Ren's apartment building around quarter to 4 in the afternoon. The ride back home was smooth, though the atmosphere inside the car did not dramatically change.

Kyoko found it hard to warm up to her senpai. Though she had lots to tell him about the past month that he was away. She wondered if he's already informed of their new collaboration in Right Behind You.

Maybe that was it, she thought, maybe she felt a little too conscious knowing that she will be portraying a role opposite her senpai, as his leading lady, nonetheless. She tried to focus on answering his casual questions and avoided looking into his eyes the whole ride to his apartment.

Ren was not oblivious to his kohai's apparent discomfort. He kept wondering what he did wrong, tried to remember if he said anything offending. Maybe she caught him looking at her -other parts- but considering how modest Mogami Kyoko is, she'd probably think he was just trying to point out a crease or a dirty spot in her uniform and instead of feeling embarrased, she'd apologize profusely for looking so inappropriate in front of her senpai.

Still, it's hard to contain his longing. He missed her so. "So, did you receive any new projects while I was away, Mogami-san?" he asked politely.

The young woman stiffened. _He is asking THAT already?_

"A- er- actually I did. I think it will be a challenging one, based on Sawara-san's explanation. I don't even understand why the Director chose me for the role, but I am most willing to try it out and do my best" she answered with more conviction.

"That is good. I see you've been treating your roles very seriously. I'm pretty sure you'll do great this time as well" he answered, smiling his gentlemanly smile with a lesser intensity but still blinding. _So she doesn't know yet? Or does she? _he worried.

"Also, we won't stay long in your apartment, Tsuruga-san, because Maria-chan prepared a Welcome Party for you at LME, tonight" Kyoko added, with better cheer this time.

"Oh? Then what about the dinner you'll cook for me?" he asked, with an almost mock-disappointment (though he really is quite disappointed).

"I can prepare a light snack for you, since you've probably missed Japanese home cooking. But don't worry it will be light so you won't lose your appetite for tonight" she answered in an almost condescending tone.

Ren smiled inside. Somehow he broke through her initial discomfort and they are now conversing in a more familiar manner. And she will stay with him until tonight, he thought with happiness, though he wished it would be for a more meaningful reason than to monitor his eating habits.

"We have arrived Tsuruga-sama, Kyoko-sama" the driver announced.

"Thank you Driver-san" Kyoko answered as they disembarked.

The driver opened the trunk and Ren retrieved his small suitcase as the driver told them that he will pick them up at around 7 PM later.

Ren sighed as the car drove away. Once more, he would have to practice his utmost restraint, with the love of his life so near him.

"Let's go upstairs Tsuruga-san. You need to rest for tonight's party" Kyoko said cheerily, taking his suitcase before he can even complain.

* * *

She decided to prepare onigiri, but smaller than the usual. She puttered around the barely used kitchen while the water for their tea is being boiled. Despite Ren's attempts to help, she insisted that he needed some rest and forcefully made him sit down on his own couch to 'relax'. She even went as far as to propose that he take a nap, but he declined almost too politely, knowing fully that he won't be able to sleep anyway, with her running around his house.

So, he chose to settle himself in the living room after unpacking. He casually rifled through a copy of the new drama's script, noting that his character is actually just a supporting one. He wondered if she already knew, if she had already realized how she will play this new role of a young woman with unrequited love to a stranger. It's paradoxical somehow, because in this new drama, their roles (in real life) will be reversed. He will play the oblivious Prince Charming and she will play the love sick fool. Sometimes he can't understand the President's humor. Ren sighed.

He remembered when he first received the script. It was sent to America by the President himself. Somehow, his father got a hold of the said document and one Sunday morning, he found the old man reading through it.

_"Bleh.. It's unfinished" Kuu commented, throwing the script book at him, which startled his blond-haired son and took a sip of his black coffee._

_"Oh, that one" Julie added "yes, a pity. Right when Aiki has just found out that Keiji has a lover"_

_"Wait, who said you can read my stuff?" Ren whined and both parents looked at him._

_"Why, my little baby's blushing! Darling, look, isn't he cute?" Julie cooed as she hugged her son who is sitting rigidly beside the breakfast table._

_"Mother!" Ren protested as he was smothered by her._

_Kuu chuckled."Well, if you can recall, right before that last part,before Aiki saw the letter of Keiji's secret lover, Aiki was imagining that Keiji was with her in the shower.. I'd have to think that the Director will put that into a very nice visualization"_

_Ren turned even redder and Julie laughed with delight._

_"Well, you've had your fair share of showing your body to the camera, Kuon, why on earth would you be embarrassed about that particular scene?" she inquired._

_Ren just mumbled something like 'It's none of your business' which was drowned by his father's comment: "It's not him, Darling, I'd bet it has got something to do with his new co-star" and with this Kuu looked at him and winked._

_Ren stood up abruptly "How did you know Kyoko is my new co-star?"_

_Silence._

_"Oh my, she is? You mean she's playing Aiki?" Julie asked innocently as her husband began to inneffectively stifle a laugh._

_Then, he knew he was busted. He can't say for sure that his father knew. In fact, he didn't even say her name. Stupid. But he was completely mortified trying to think about his and Kyoko's scene in a shower, with barely their clothes on (actually, without their clothes on). Add that to the fact that the scene is supposed to be one of Aiki's (gulp) erotic fantasies._

_Kuu, still trying to recover from his laughing fit "But I tell you, young man, do not try to take advantage of my 'other son'" he warned._

_Ren sighed. I really need to go back to Japan. I think I've forgotten how to control myself because of these two._

In some way, he missed his super suave / control freak alter ego, Ren Tsuruga.

"Tsuruga-san, here's your tea" Kyoko said, as she laid down a steaming cup in front of him.

Her presence sort of drowned his reminiscing.

"Thank you, Mogami-san" he said, as he laid down the script beside him on the couch.

He was taking his first sip of the tea, when he noticed her intently staring at the script book beside him.

"Would you like to read this, Mogami-san?" he offered.

Kyoko looked at him with horror and shook her pretty head vigorously.

He smiled.

"Yes, you've probably read it anyway" he said.

Her jaw dropped.

"You- you knew? I mean, you knew it was me who you'll be acting with?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"The President mentioned it to me" he answered after taking a sip of his tea. "You don't seem to be too happy about it, Mogami-san"

Some of Kyoko's grudges twitched, sensing the beginning of a dark aura so very near.

"Ah - er - at first, I was- well- a little hesitant, but-"

_No! You can't tell him that you wanted to decline because of the role. That would be too unprofessional, he will hate you to death!_

"I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san! I hated Aiki's character because she was just too stupid and I don't think I can act love but I don't want to bother you because you were just in an accident and I wanted to stop requesting so much help from you so I wanted to figure out Aiki's character on my own but I don't really know how and I wanted to know how you learned acting love with Katsuki because I know if I pretend you'll know I'm just pretending and I don't want you to hate me!" Kyoko suddenly exclaimed while doing her famous dogeza.

"I wanted to prove that I am a professional actress and that I can take on any role, even if its for a character who is stupidly in love" she added.

Ren sighed. It's like she was saying that HE is stupid.

"well, Mogami-san, first off, can you sit down properly? There's no need for you to do that every time" he scolded her like a good senpai would.

After she had settled, though she still cannot look at him directly: "Secondly, why do you think were you chosen for this role?"

"Eh- well, Director Ayane said I portray agony and suffering really well after he watched the Prisoner PV" she answered, directly avoiding mentioning that stupid Sho's name.

"And why do you think this was given to you as a LoveMe task?" he asked.

"Be- because I need to understand love? I need to feel love again so I can graduate from LoveMe" she answered, thinking hard.

"There you go" her senpai just added.

She looked at him softly. _That's right. Tsuruga-san knows about love. He's secretly in love with a girl who is too young for him. Though that's hardly any reason not to have her. I think any girl would want to have Tsuruga-san as a boyfriend, if she believes in love. So, maybe Aiki's character is much like Tsuruga-san. She's in love with someone she can't confess to because she thinks she is not fit to love the other person. Is this how I should feel to be able to portray Aiki's character?_

He then looked at her.

She smiled.

_Darn. Why does she always have to be so adorable?_ he thought.

"Thank you Tsuruga-san, I understand now. I'm glad I have a senpai like you" she cheered.

_Senpai! Senpai! Senpai! When will be I rid of that label? _Ren wanted to burst, but as usual, he just reverted to his gentleman persona.

"You're welcome Mogami-san. As I told you before, I am always glad to be of help to you", he answered with a small smile.

She turned to her own tea, which she had quite forgotten during the heat of the moment. _How would I ask him what it feels like to love someone who doesn't love you back? He only shared that to Bo. If I ask him, he'll definitely find out I'm Bo. And he'll find out I've been lying this whole time, and I'm dead meat._

"Hmm.. Mogami-san"

"Yes, Tsuruga-san?"

"Were you, by any chance, able to finish reading your script?"

"Erm- actually, I only read until Act 5. I was thinking so much about how I will create Aiki, I just couldn't move on" she said with a sigh.

_So she hasn't read THAT part._

"Why do you ask?" she inquired innocently.

"I was just wondering if you had talked to Director Ayane on how you'd go about Act 7"

"Act 7? What about it? Is there some stunt involved?" she asked again, her golden eyes staring intently at him.

"Well, there seems to be er- some- some nudity involved"

"Nudity? You- you mean I have to- to take my clothes of?" she asked incredulously, inside her head, images of scandals from tabloids she had read passed by.

"Not really, it's just a small scene" he said and cleared his throat.

"And you just have to appear nude in the shower. But commonly, they have these skintone body wraps to cover your - er- private parts"

"In the shower?" she exclaimed and stood up abruptly.

"Don't worry Mogami-san, I believe you will be treated with utmost respect and I'll be there to assist you as well" he tried to console her. _Shit I shouldn't have brought this up._

"But- but- wait! Why will you be there? Are you going to watch me?" she asked almost hysterically.

Ren took a long hard swallow. Here goes. "Well, I'll be doing the scene with you"

_WHAT? Shower? Nudity? With Tsuruga-san?_

Kyoko, with a silent scream on her face, then retreated a step.

"Wait Mogami-san"

Two steps.

"It's not that bad"

Three steps.

"I believe it will be tastefully crafted"

Four steps. She was fortunate that Ren's living room was relatively huge.

"And we may not even do it, if the director decides so"

She was going to take another step back, by then reaching the wall, but she stopped.

"Is that possible?" she asked, with a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Yes, I think it's highly probable that the scene will be omitted. After all, you're only 17 and the director should have known this. He could have considered your age and status as well before he offered this role to you" _Lies. Yeah, keep lying Ren. You have an indie film director, he likes real and raw, uncensored acting._

"Is this true?" she asked, tears, almost falling from those golden eyes.

"Yes"

She nodded. "That's a relief then", and said as she tried to keep herself from trembling.

Ren sighed once more.

Barely an hour into his return and he can already feel the beginning of a major headache. _I'm going to hell, blatantly lying to this poor girl who trusts me completely. Face it, Ren; this is what you want. You'd rather suffer, trying hard to control yourself, than see someone else get into that freakin' shower with her. Burn!_

* * *

As if with an unspoken agreement, they decided not to discuss their new roles as of the moment. Ren tried to pick up a hint of how the party came about, but Kyoko shared none of the really important stuff, insisting that the program ought to be a surprise and that it was Maria's idea. And then she talked about her bestfriend Moko and that other LoveMe member Chiori and some of the really weird tasks they did as part of their infamous LoveMe group.

All this time, Ren just watched her, as usual, mesmerized by her energy and vitality. she can be quite expressive when she says things, her eyes, her lips, her cute nose. He noticed how her face seemed to have gotten slimmer, her shoulders a bit wider and her chest bigger (another gulp). Well, he can't curse Biology. She's barely an adult and still on her way to maturity. He tried not to think how she will look like a year from now, or two years. If she can take his breath away, every time he sees her now, what else will she be able to take when he sees her all grown up even more beautiful and womanly. He'd rather escape now before that momentous day comes. But how can he? When he's so deeply into her already?

Then suddenly she stopped.

And then she stood up abruptly,looking at the wall behind him.

"Tsuruga-san, it's alreay quarter to 7. I've been ranting at you this whole time!" she said with alarm.

"We'll the driver won't pick us up until 7 so we have 15 minutes to spare. Come sit down. Also, I love how you rant at me" he answered, trying not to sound too adult-like with the last line.

But this innuendo went beyond her as always.

"No, we have to get into our costumes" she said adamantly.

"Costumes?" he asked.

"Yes. It's a costume party. The president and Maria prepared our costumes. I didn't actually know the theme, because it was a last minute thing. Oh, where's that bag?" she started looking around.

She found the said bag at the kitchen table, with her own. And brought it to him. Ren, who was slightly curious, helped her unpack their 'costumes'. Inside were two plastic bags, each labeled with their names. Once she had gotten hers, she pushed Ren to his own room, telling him to hurry up as they both don't have much time left.

* * *

She sat at the back with her senpai, feeling mortified. She looked at her dashing companion who is donning a black tuxedo which perfectly fit his tall and lean frame. Aside from these, however, he has a racoon tail and racoon ears. He is now trying on his racoon nose with whiskers. To any other audience, this must have looked rather comical; The Ren Tsuruga, wearing an animal costume, a racoon costume even! But given her position, Kyoko can't even see the humor in the situation.

After the nose and whiskers have been settled on his handsome face, Ren looked at the girl beside him. "Why aren't you trying on your whiskers Mogami-san?" he asked, with unconcealed laughter in his eyes.

Kyoko looked down on her lap, at the headband with cat ears and at the cat nose and whiskers with elastic band she is holding. She wanted to cry. She's okay with being the cat, hell, she's even okay with having a feathery tuft of tail with her. What she didn't like were the clothes. _Which cat on her right mind would wear a tiny (as in teeny-weeny) tube top black dress and 4-inch high heels?_

"Don't look so down Mogami-san. You look cute as a kitty" Ren commented as he started to feel her signature dark aura. He tried to summon his own Dark Lord, but what kept cropping up was Emperor of the Night, seeing her in that tiny outfit. So he just toned both of them down by thinking how comical their whole situation is and tried his humor on his mortified kohai.

"This outfit is just ridiculous" she mumbled.

Ren smiled. Kyoko couldn't bear not to look. "Perhaps you should remember to whom this party is dedicated to, Mogami-san" he said calmly.

yoko sat up rigidly. _Noooo! I completely forgot! This is Tsuruga-san's party! WHy on earth am I moping around like this? Arrgghh..._

Not knowing what to do, she took the cat ears and jammed it down her little head and stuck the cat nose with whiskers on her face.

"Is this okay, Tsuruga-san?" she asked, still afraid to face him directly.

He extended his hand behind her head and looked down upon her, his face inches away from hers.

Whiskers to whiskers, he said **"You're a pretty little kitty, ain't ya?" **in english.

The pretty little kitty shivered like a pretty little kitty would. And she wished she was a chicken instead.

* * *

They arrived at the LME ball room at half past 7. When they opened the big double-oak doors, they were assaulted by everyone's greeting: "WELCOME BACK REN!" and then the happy music started.

Everyone, with respect to the happy ocassion, donned their animal costumes. The first one who came over, was of course, Yashiro, who is wearing his normal brown suit but with droopy dog ears. His eye was also painted brown, like a spot.

"Welcome back Ren!" he greeted, hugging his charge like a long lost brother. Then he saw Kyoko and he beamed. "Wow, you look sexy Kyoko-chan!" he commented, elbowing Ren in the process and making the young actress blush.

Ren groaned. Yashiro can be quite tactless sometimes. Plus, he has not given up trying to torture him.

"Ren-sama!" someone squealed and Maria erupted from the crowd and launched herself at the tall actor.

She is wearing a pink and white frilly dress, a shorter one, with pink stockings, cute bunny ears and a little tuft of bunny tail.

"I missed you!" she sobbed on his shoulder.

"Well, I missed you too Maria-chan" he answered, gently stroking her hair.

"Grandfather said I'd grown taller" she said, facing him, with much enthusiasm.

"Really?" Ren asked.

"Yes, I did. Next year I'll be pretty tall and then I can be your girl" she said matter-of-factly to which everyone else chuckled.

"AHA! There you are, my number one LME star!" a resplendent voice boomed. All of the other guests made way for the LME President. As usual, he did not hold back from dressing up. He was wearing a purple cloak over his deep purple and bejeweled tuxedo and on his head was a great mane of brown hair and a big red crown. He is the king of the jungle. Beside him, Sawara san played a monkey.

Lory gave Ren a great big Lion hug.

"You had everyone worried, my boy" he commented "especially Mogami-kun here" he motioned to Kyoko, who still has traces of red on her cheeks. Both men looked down at her and smiled.

"Well, I'm fine and I'm back" Ren answered.

"Great! Great! I want you all to enjoy the party! Because tomorrow you officially return for work" he looked at Ren and Yashiro.

"Yes, Sir, " Yashiro nodded vigorously. He seemed to have missed work a lot, Ren mused.

"Also, I took the liberty to set up your first meeting with Director Ayane, tomorrow at lunch time" Lory added.

Ren groaned inwardly, thinking that his kohai is at the verge of freaking out, hearing the dreaded project's director's name once again, that Ren has so much avoided mentioning. But instead of a dark and ominous aura, they heard a loud thud, afterwhich, a loud shriek coming from the second LoveMe member: "Mo! Cut it out! You're undressing me!"

Apparently, Ren's favorite and beloved kohai has just tackled her best friend, both of them landing splayed on the floor. Kotonami Kanae, in her flame-colored tube top dress and orange cat ears and annoyed look at her friend, and Kyoko with her dreamy look towards her Moko-san, all mortification related to her all-too-sexy outfit forgotten.

"You're so cute Moko-san" Kyoko purred, brushing her nose at Kanae's middle.

"Yes you are.. Meowww" another cat purred. It was Chiori and she was clearly enjoying her cat persona. She's the white kitty.

"You too Chiori-san!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Mo! We should stand up, your underwear's showing" Kanae demanded.

Half of the room who weren't already looking at the said underwear-s (as Kanae's red one is also in full view) suddenly looked. Ren groaned loudly this time, to which Yashiro smirked.

"Those are such naughty kittys, eh?" the bespectacled manager commented.

* * *

Maria played "somewhere over the rainbow" with her piano, while the President hummed in perfect tune, tears flowing from his eyes after the number. Another Talent Manager performed a magic trick with bunny rabbits and a duck. The LoveMe girls prepared a short song number, albeit a very chaotic one, with the hoots and the howls (and the growls of a certain disgruntled racoon) of the animals in the room.

"Ren-sama, did you like your Welcome Back Party?" Maria asked, sitting on Ren's lap, her eyes droopy.

"I liked it very much, Maria-chan. Thank you for preparing this for me" he smiled at her gently.

She fell asleep in his arms and after a short while, Sebastian came over and carried her away.

Kyoko came sauntering (it seemed to him like so) towards him. "Uhm- Tsuruga-san, would it be Okay if we drop off Moko-san on our way back?" she asked.

"Of course, Mogami-san. And I also want to thank you for this" he said, looking around (the animals were pretty much drunk by this time).

She blushed. _I made her blush_, he thought.

"I'm really glad you're back Tsuruga-san" she said without looking at him.

They stood there a few moments, then he finally invited her to go home.

* * *

They dropped off Kanae and then Yashiro, who had lost one of his doggy ears, and then Kyoko at the Darumaya, who bowed at him shyly, apologizing for the coat she borrowed from him. He dissuaded her apologies by saying that she needs it more than he does, given that she barely has any thing on. She blushed again and ran inside.

The driver dropped him off last and said goodnight. He entered his dark apartment without turning on the lights. Tomorrow is a new busy day, it almost seems foreign to him. He tried to compose his thoughts, around his plans, his timelines, until that fateful day that he tells her who he really is. He remembered his last day in America, the conference call with the President or the Boss, as his parents call him.

_"Are you sure this is how you want it to be?" the President's voice asked._

_"Yes" he answered curtly._

_"Fine. This is very brave of you. I will arrange everything on my end. All you need, especially you, Julie and Kuu, is to plan your projects until my summons arrive" the Boss answered._

_"We understand" Kuu replied._

_"I'm so proud of you Kuon" Julie said, stroking her son's cheek, eyes brimming with tears._

There is no turning back now.

He closed his eyes and thought abour her beautiful golden ones.

* * *

End of Chapter

* * *

I can't help but have fun writing this chapter. The Costume Party was just for fun, really, I didn't plan for it. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: REALITY BITES  
**

**Chapter 4:** The Heel Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Skip Beat, though I wish I did. I'd love to own Kyoko and Ren and all the rest of them characters so I can do anything I want with them. But I guess this fanfic will just have to suffice (sigh).

**Setting:** Supposedly a month after Ren's predicted accident during the Dark Moon shoot / Cain & Setsu Heel Arc.

**Note:** It's really a bummer to live in a country where you can only read updated manga copies through internet scanlations. You may ask: where do I live? Please see my profile. I'm proud living in my country, but really, hard copy manga are grossly expensive, extremely rare, and extremely outdated here. 2 nights ago, I was finally able to read until Chapter 167 of the manga and found out that Ren's accident wasn't an accident. He was actually rendered catatonic for a few minutes because he almost ran over a little boy crossing the street. And then there's Rick, his friend. And by the end of the chapter, he was (I think) thinking about letting go of "Setsu" because he subconsciously let's go of his calm persona and allows Kuon to surface whenever Kyoko / Setsu is around. And I realized that this particular arc in the manga is supposed to be quite dark and depressing (with Ren battling his demons and such). And I honestly love writing about dark and depressing thoughts and stories. So please do not flame me if in Chapter 1 I sort of alluded that Ren actually had a real accident. I'm thankful that I got really lazy editing and uploading chapter 4, because now I have to rewrite it to go with the actual manga storyline. Now, here it is. Hope for your kind understanding. – zf

* * *

"And CUT!" Director Ogata ordered. "Let's break for lunch. Be back by 2 pm".

They are back filming the last few episodes of Dark Moon. The young director has finally convinced Ren to use a stuntman for the car chase scene which they had finished filming during Ren's month-long sabbatical, with Lory's intervention, of course. And Ogata is glad that his leading man seemed to have recuperated well during his visit to America. They had greeted each other, as well as the other Dark Moon cast, the previous night, in Ren's Welcome Back party, where the Director donned a silver fox costume.

Rumors can never be avoided though, especially when the number one star and most desirable man in all of Japan suddenly leaves his commitments to go so far away without acceptable explanation. LME only publicized that Ren visited his 'relatives' (the who's and the where's are not specific) in the US. Though his involvement with the almost-accident during the Dark Moon filming was also discussed, the loyalty of the Dark Moon staff and crew and his co-stars left him unscathed. Ultimately, the gossip died down, with Dark Moon reaching above 50% viewership ratings in the past month, with the re-airing of previous episodes, making the fans clamoring for more and drumming up the excitement for the finale.

Ren, true to his trademark, was in his top form this morning. Kyoko had finished her scenes with the other characters and what are left are only the scenes involving Katsuki, so she will not be joining them until Wednesday for the filming of the finale wherein all the major characters will converge. They targeted finishing all the scenes by the end of the week and so far, due to Ren's usual dedication and excellence, they were ahead of schedule.

"It's quarter past eleven. We should be going if we want to make it on time to the meeting with Director Ayane" Yashiro said, as Ren left the set.

"I understand. I'll get the car" the actor replied calmly as he strode off without changing his wardrobe.

"Don't worry about lunch. Kyoko-chan has prepared something to eat so we can have late lunch after the meeting" the dutiful manager added in too-cheerful a tone, as he tried to keep up with Ren's long strides. He pouted childishly when he didn't get a response, not even a well meant glare, and just followed his charge to the car.

After they had settled inside the vehicle, Yashiro finally asked the question wanting to escape his lips: "Ren, is something the matter? You've been brooding again."

"No, nothing's wrong" the actor answered without looking at his manager.

"I know you well enough. It's about Kyoko-chan, isn't it? Did something happen last night?" Yashiro prodded.

Instead of a well-meant glare, the poor bespectacled manager received a very gentlemanly smile. "No. Nothing happened, Yashiro-san", as Ren started the engine and drove away. And that was the end of discussion. If Kyoko's grudges die being subjected to that ominous aura, how can a frail and nosy manager stand a chance?

_Something definitely happened_, the manager concluded. He just has to regroup and maybe find an ally in the man they will be meeting in short while.

At that moment, on the other side of the town, a pink-clad young woman is balancing 3 bento boxes on her lap. She was glad that Yashiro-san called her before she left the Darumaya that morning, so she was able to prepare an acceptable meal for her senpai. _If he thinks being in an important meeting can be an excuse to skip lunch, then he is most definitely mistaken_, Kyoko grinned despite herself.

In some way she was glad to channel her nerves into something more productive. She had stayed up until midnight studying the script for _**Right Behind You**_ and was able to finally read Act 7 and true enough, there is a scene in the shower. It said there that Aiki is imagining Keiji is touching her in the shower. As she has read on, her dormant grudges awakened one by one and she ended up curling herself into the smallest ball possible and muttering about stupid love, gross love, freakish love, and so on. Then she remembered what Sawara-san said: 'even seasoned actors find it hard acting in indie films (for indie directors)' and interposed that with her Otou-san's rule number 1: 'to treat all characters without bias and do one's best to take up the challenge'* and she ended up saying stupid to herself and kneeling down to reach for the bully-faced Ren doll in her closet.

"So you really are not an actress worthy to be my co-star? Why did you even think you're fit to accept this role, ne, Mogami? I should find a more worthy kouhai. I really should" said the Ren doll and this made Kyoko wail out loud in resignation. While on the other room, the Taisho and Okami-san stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, thinking what had made the girl freak out again.

And so when Ren and Yashiro entered the room, they saw a very fidgety and almost too anxious Kyoko holding 3 bento boxes.

Seeing them, she stood up and bowed, cradling the packed lunch. "Good afternoon Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san", she greeted, smiling. This does not, however, hide the dark circles around her eyes and her apparent restlessness. Yashiro's suspicion was further confirmed by the lack of comment from the actor beside him. But before the overly curious manager further questioned his charge's love interest, a booming voice sounded near the door.

"Ah, right on time as always!" the LME President exclaimed. He has donned himself with sequined tuxedo with a long tail, shiny shoes, a big bow tie and a big black cape. He is also holding a whip, and on his head is large red top hat. The man beside him, however, is dressed casually in tan slacks and a checkered shirt with a week –old beard. He was smiling awkwardly at the younger people.

"Please come in to my office, all of you" Lory requested them enthusiastically as he pranced into his office.

After they have settled themselves in the president's spacious office, currently designed like the inside of a circus tent, the introductions were made.

"Director Ayane, these are your lead stars, Mogami Kyoko and Ren Tsuruga, and this fellow here is Yashiro Yukihito, Ren's manager"

"Please call me Kyoko, Director, please take care of me" Kyoko greeted with her signature bow.

"I'm looking forward to working with you Director, please take care of me as well" Ren seconded.

Yashiro just smiled and nodded at the Director.

Director Ayane smiled in return and he looked much younger. "I'm quite pleased that you both accepted my offer. Now, I may be quite different to the other directors you have worked with in the past because I don't require my actors to strictly follow the dialogue. What I have is a clear vision of how I want the story to be presented. And as long as we stick to the plot and the values of the characters, we can work together fine. I encourage you to grow within your characters, alter some dialogue here and there that you seem fit for the scenarios you will be playing" he said in a low but melodious voice, a half-formed smile across his face.

Kyoko listened with rapt attention. _What? I haven't even grasped Aiki's character and now I have to worry about 'growing' within her._ She looked at her senpai who is also listening intently_. I know Tsuruga-san has a reputation of pushing up the level of his co-stars' performance through his own acting ability and he could easily affect my acting in such a way. But that would be admitting defeat. It means I will be going back to zero. He'd think he had wasted his precious time patiently mentoring me once he sees my character can't stand on its own._

As Kyoko agonized over her predicament, Director Ayane continued. "You may have noticed that the script is unfinished. I only provided the script until episode 9"

"Yes! Yes!" Lory interrupted, his face set in an endearing expression "oh why would you do such a thing Director? I was crying for Aiki that I almost couldn't take it, just to find out that the script ends there. It's not fair at all"

Ayane chuckled. "I'm sorry. I have not disclosed the contents of episodes 10 to 12 to anyone, not even to the producers. This is so that Kyoko-chan can create the perfect Aiki" he said, looking at Kyoko.

"Per-perfect Aiki?" Kyoko stammered.

"Yes. Basically, the story revolves around Aiki: her dreams, her desires, her frustrations. Her story is not just about an unrequited love for a person who is out of reach. She represents the majority of our society who cannot seem to find contentment in things that we have, a society that dwells on disappointments for the things we cannot have. She represents broken dreams, lack of identity, helplessness, hopelessness. I want you to embody all that as you play Aiki's character" he explained.

Kyoko's face almost turned white. She had never heard of a character with such complexity. She looked at the President who is smiling wistfully at her and then to the face of her senpai who, based on his expression, is probably gauging her comprehension of everything that the Director has just said.

"Now please don't feel pressured, Kyoko-chan. I know I was not mistaken when I offered this role to you. I could have offered it to more seasoned actresses, but for the longest time, you're the first actress who had shown true complexity and depth. I know you'll portray Aiki in her most ideal form" the Director, seeing Kyoko's expression, offered his encouragement.

"Ha – hai. Thank you for your confidence, Director. I will try my best" she answered with the smallest voice.

This did not fool her future co-star in the least. He knows that she is still worrying about the 'shower scene' and now, she is worrying about the pressure of portraying Aiki 'in her most ideal form'. Even Ren felt frustrated for her. But he also acknowledged the fact that if she can create this 'ideal Aiki', she will be even more astounding that all of Japan is bound to notice. He can't even begin to imagine how she will be like in the near future.

Ren cleared his throat to shift everyone's attention away from his co-star who is almost squirming in her seat. "I do have one concern, Director, about a scene in episode 7"

Kyoko stiffened and paled altogether.

"Which one is it Tsuruga-kun?" Director Ayane asked.

"The 'shower scene'" Ren answered stiffly.

"Now why would that bother you?" Lory asked, while Yashiro sat straighter, getting the scent of the answers to the questions nagging at his brain to be very near his twitching nose.

"I would like to know whether or not this will be included in the episode. If so, I am worried about its possible impact to Mogami-san's image. She is, after all, still a minor" Ren answered with his most professional tone.

"Are you worried about this scene as well Kyoko-chan?" the Director asked the young actress to which she could only nod in return, afraid to look anyone directly in the eyes.

"I don't find anything wrong with the scene. Aiki's character is quite mature; it's befitting her to have womanly desires towards the man that she desperately loves. Also, the scene won't require actual nudity, just the 'appearance of nudity' to make the viewers think they are really in the shower together" Lory interjected, showing obvious irritation towards his number one LME actor.

"I'm not one to change the script based on any actor's preference" Ayane answered, brooding. "I can only assure you both that we will make everything as comfortable to you as possible" he added, looking expectantly at Kyoko.

Finally, the young actress looked at him straight, with a renewed fire in her eyes.

"I will do it" she said simply but with conviction. Hearing her senpai trying to fight for her cause made her want to disappear in shame. She cannot let him suffer for her expense. And she cannot mistake the tone of disappointment from the President's voice. She desperately wanted to believe that there's something good about Aiki's character. She simply does not want to disappoint anyone; not the President, not her Otou-san, not Director Ayane who wholly trusted her, and definitely not her senpai.

"I'm glad. That scene is part of the turning point of the story and of Aiki's character. But I want you to figure it out for yourself. Once you do, we can say that you have totally owned the character" Director Ayane said gently.

Lory beamed proudly at his number one LoveMe girl. He understands Kyoko's more than slight aversion to this new role. But he has high hopes. Not only will this project showcase her exceptional talent, hopefully it will also make her realize the meaning of true love – its beauty and ugliness – the pleasure and the suffering.

"Now if you do not have any more concerns, our schedule for filming starts next week, Wednesday. But before that you have to attend our casting call the day before at 2 PM here at LME. I believe Takarada-san will be providing us a venue" he said, looking at the jolly president. Lory just nodded.

Yashiro took out his datebook and started scribbling. He noted that morning of the same day Ren has asked him to block his schedule for his 'secret' assignment from the President. But that was the last date for said 'secret' project and so he pushed away his curiosity. He was glad that Dark Moon will finish filming this week. He didn't have to worry too much about Ren's schedule except for a photoshoot and two TV guest appearances. They are yet to accept new projects and he remembered the project folders on his table and he sighed. _So much for a long vacation_

"Then I will be expecting you both" Director Ayane finished as he stood up to bow. Kyoko, Ren and Yashiro bowed in return. Lory came over to shake the director's hand and to vigorously pat him on the back. "I will see you out" the flambouyant president motioned to the door by brandishing his whip.

"Please let me know how I can help you Mogami-san" Ren implored as they settled down again.

Kyoko seemed rather forlorn, but somehow she had regained the fire in her eyes. She looked back at him and he wanted to touch her even more.

"Thank you Tsuruga-san. If I can't pull this off, I don't deserve to be an actress and your kohai" she said calmly.

Ren had tried to limit exposing his true feelings towards his love, but at that moment, he looked and smiled at her with all of his affection.

"Ehem—" Lory interrupted. "If you don't mind, I would like to discuss an important matter to Mogami-kun and Ren, Yashiro. This won't be long so you can wait outside"

Yashiro stood up abruptly, despite his curiosity. "I can hold that for you Kyoko-chan" he offered, pointing at the bento boxes.

"Oh, thank you Yashiro-san" Kyoko answered with more cheer, handing him the boxes.

After the manager has taken his leave and the door's already shut, Lory settled on his chair, and looked at his two young talented adopted children. A while ago, he was the usual playful boss, but now he looked serious and stern. "Now, let's discuss how we can get you back together, Cain and Setsuka".

Kyoko stiffened. Ren scowled.

* * *

Lunch was agony, the drive back to the shoot even more so. Yashiro thought that since the issue with the 'shower scene', though he does not understand completely (somehow, Ren managed to hide every copy of the new drama from him though now he is even more determined to get one), has been resolved, everybody would be happier. But things had gotten worse. Ren was even more silent as they made their way back to the Dark Moon shoot. And Kyoko-chan, poor Kyoko-chan, looked like a wounded animal right before they parted, barely getting a pleasant goodbye from her beloved senpai.

Now he wanted to scold his charge, damn the consequences. But he can also feel the turmoil simmering right below the surface of Ren's cool persona and that made him think harder.

Ren dropped his manager off beside his apartment complex. Yashiro, reverting to his true nature, suddenly commented: "I hope you settle things right with Kyoko-chan. She looked really pitiful earlier, like she was back into those days you were still bullying her". Then he stepped outside the vehicle and marched away without another word.

Ren sighed and moved on. He can't afford to think or worry about his manager because it's already quite late he has a 9 o'clock appointment with Jelly Woods.

* * *

Kyoko knew she must have done something wrong. After Tsuruga-san's accident, when she had tried to call him, he did not answer. As his kohai she cannot help but worry. She remembered how cold his hand was when she held it and her heart ached when she looked at his unseeing eyes. Perhaps her reaction had been too much, thinking and feeling as if she had any right to meddle in his affairs. She was supposed to separate Setsu from herself. But she could't help if Setsu's affection and protectiveness towards her brother seeped through Kyoko, especially that his eyes then looked the same when he almost strangled the bastard who tried to harm Setsu.

That night the President called to tell her that Cain and Setsu will have to part for a while. She did not ask for further explanation. It was her fault and she knew it. Then just like that, Tsuruga-san left to go to America. Yashiro-san just handed her a short letter, explaining that he needed to leave right away to attend to an urgent matter and apologized for not telling her any thing beforehand. He need not apologize really, she was just his lowly kohai and for her to assume that she should know everything that he does or all his plans would be too impudent.

Earlier, when the President told them that they need to get back together as Cain and Setsu, a rather bittersweet feeling overcame her. True, she missed being Setsu and spending time with her nii-san, but she also knew she is seen as a burden by her senpai. Tsuruga-san does not need her in the least, but because he is a professional, he has to stick to Cain's character; the Cain who cannot take care of himself and who dotes on his little sister. That's why Tsuruga-san did not make a fuss about the matter and Kyoko just felt even more terrible, because she has to play the role of Setsu until the end if she wants to earn her senpai's respect.

Now, sitting inside her room at the Darumaya, she's stumped. _How should Setsu act now?_ She wondered. According to the President, the reason given by Cain's party for the filming break was an old commitment signed before he even took the movie role. It was postponed due to the director's illness, but the said director has now recovered and demands that the project resume. And so to prevent further hassle and possible legal entanglements the producers of Cain's movie decided to grant the month-long break. They have been also impressed by Cain's performance and intend to make the mysterious actor X a really big name. Such sacrifices will have to be made.

Suddenly, her phone's alarm chimed. And hearing it, she hard turned into a horror stricken animal, looking at the damn phone with disgust and fear. Still trembling, she gathered her things and placed them all inside her backpack. And like a man who lost his soul, she walked down to the ground floor to say goodbye to the taisho and okami-san.

Several of the late-night customers felt the dark presence descend upon them. Even the taisho looked up from his work and the okami-san almost broke a bottle of sake. "Goodnight taisho, okami-san. I will be going now" the dark entity said as it slowly slithered outside the door. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after the encounter.

* * *

At exactly 9:20 PM:

"You look great, darling!" Jelly exclaimed. "I wanted to try a new look for Setsu – something a little edgier and it turned out perfect. Just you wait until Cain sees you!" then she giggled in her Jellyish way.

Kyoko was not able to enjoy the make-up session. She was too afraid and panic-stricken. Until now, she had not figured out how Setsu should act around her brother. She kept thinking not of Cain but of Tsuruga-san. And she didn't know if there is something wrong about that. Role-wise, she should be thinking about Cain and acting around her brother, as Setsu, should be easy enough, but Cain is also Tsuruga-san and she just can't bear to let her senpai suffer further because of her.

"Now let's see your new Setsu" Jelly ordered and motioned Kyoko to stand up from the chair. They walked to the mirror, and there, a more mature and sophisticated leather-clad woman looked back at them. Gone was the short top that shows the midriff and in its place a black corset is wrapped around her torso, which emphasized her tiny waist and pushed up her perky bosoms. At the bottom, she is wearing plain skin-tight leather pants covered mid-calf by leather high-heeled boots. Her hair is also styled differently. It looked tamer and parted in an almost Natsu-like manner, but still reached the back of her waist. Also gone were the chunky nose ring and some other spiky accessories, instead, her make up emphasized her features more – her high cheekbones, her pouty lips and her dreamy golden eyes. The color ranged from dark bloody red to brown to black. All in all, she looked like a more grown-up Setsuka and Kyoko smiled despite herself.

"You can wear this with everything else, just like Cain's signature coat" Jelly added, handing her a leather jacket which she did not put on. Just then, she finally figured out how Setsu should reunite with her brother. It was Setsu's reflection who smirked back after that.

Outside, in the President's limo, Cain's alter ego sat brooding. He remembered their last conversation before he left to America. He was also inside the limo that time, waiting for Jelly.

"_I told you I will not solve your problems for you, that I would only help you. But I have to break that promise just this once" Lory said in an almost tired tone._

_Ren looked into his godfather's eyes._

"_You cannot be the man you want to become if you don't accept the man that you are"_

"_if you can't come into terms with Kuon, you will only be playing the role of Ren Tsuruga, and you will never BE Ren Tsuruga"_

_Lory sighed._

"_Kuon was many things. He was a trouble-maker, a rebel, a gangster if you may, a hater. But he was also a loving child" with this Lory stared at him, his eyes piercing through his mask of control "a son who admired his father, a loving son to his mother"_

"_What happened years ago cannot be erased by any form of suffering now" he added. "Do you think that Rick would want you to run away from yourself and live a dark and lonely life? If it was you who died, do you think he would confine himself and lock himself away from the world, away from the people that he loved?"_

_Lory was afraid to say the dreaded name, afraid that it would unleash the fury and the agony all pent up inside the boy. But the reaction of the man pretending to be Ren Tsuruga was unexpected. He slumped, his fists painfully clenched at his sides. And suddenly, he released his breath in noisy frustration and leaned back on his seat. _

_Ren was too tired to argue. He desperately wanted to believe all the words the man just said, but even his Ren persona is already confused. _

"_I can't afford you being like that again" obviously referring to the near-accident earlier "Not only have I invested in you and your career, but I also happen to know 2 very powerful people who will hunt me down to the ends of the earth if something happens to you"_

They both remained silent after that.

"_I'll go" he answered after a few minutes of silence._

_Lory looked up at him._

"_I'll go back to America. I'll try to make peace with—with myself. But then I'll come back and then I'll continue living as Ren Tsuruga until I've achieved my goal" _

_Lory was silent for more than a minute and then he smiled, a sort of relieved and weary smile. _

This reminiscing was interrupted by a short rap on the window of the limousine. It was the president himself. He had gone to fetch the girls, saying something about Setsu's new look. Ren was too preoccupied with his own troubled thoughts that it barely registered. Now, the flambouyant head of LME is rapping again on the side window like an excited kid. Ren opened the door and got out, stretching his tall, lean frame.

"Cain, look what I've found" Lory said with more than the usual excitement as he pointed to the back of the trailer parked near the limo.

There, stood a leather-clad young woman, who looked rather familiar. She looked at him with heavy-lidded eyes and smirked in that way that Cain's sister would.

"Hello, nii-san. Missed me?"

* * *

End of Chapter

* * *

A rather long and boring chapter; oh well, I just want to explain within the context of the story why Ren decided to go back to America when he has not reached his goal yet. I've just decided that there will be more about his month-long vacation in the later chapters where he 'supposedly' made peace with his other self, Kuon. I've inserted a bit of Cain & Setsu just to well – guess what? To torment our beloved leading man of course! Bwahahahaha - And I decided to give Setsu a new look because I honestly don't like her current getup in the manga (no offense to Nakamura-san though.. Gomen..). I've already laid out the entire story but I'm just too lazy and incompetent to put them into readable form. Add that to the fact I'm not really a native English speaker/writer. OH well… please let me know what you think.. - zf


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: REALITY BITES**

**Disclaimer:** I am no mangaka so I don't own Skipbeat!

**Setting:** A month after the Chapter 167 in the manga.

**Note:** Thanks to everyone who favorite-d my story. To **leavesfallingup-san**, I love you very much! You write the awesome-st fanfictions ever! To **Jhiz-san**, thank you for your kind words (all invented words in this statement are invented by my crazy self deliberately XD – zf)

* * *

"Hello nii-san. You missed me?"

Those were the only words she said. Even when she said it, her voice was laced with angst and bitterness, while her brother, the big rough-looking brute just stood there, and mouth agape at his sister's obvious transformation. In less than a minute his eyes traveled all over her lithe body, settling on her shapely long legs emphasized by the tight leather pants, then to her small waist made to look even smaller by a modern leather-made corset, and then to her chest which is bound by a sleeveless lacy number tucked under the corset, almost ready to spill out with any major movement.

Setsu yawned. Cain looked at the dashboard clock: 10:02 pm. They're driving to their new lodging that the President has arranged for them.

The President; Kuon growled inside him, that conniving bastard. The man is hell-bent on shortening his lifespan. If he was not the professional that he was and if he has not returned to Japan under a different circumstance, he could have forgotten that the man is his / Kuon's godfather. But as he drove, he tried to forget all other troubles and focus on being Cain, as there is a more pressing matter – dangerously so – at hand: Setsu is pissed.

"Where would you like to eat Setsu?" Cain asked with his gravelly voice. He assumed she still hasn't had dinner. Setsu always ate with her nii-san.

"I'm too tired nii-san, let's just go home" she said, the way she said 'nii-san' bordering on overly sweet, thus sorely unbelievable.

She is most definitely pissed, Cain thought. His only consolation is that she's not having a tantrum. But that meant she's already doubly pissed, all her usual playfulness gone.

They parked. They took the elevator up to their room, effectively frightening the young couple inside the elevator so that they ran out to just wait for the next cab. All these were done without a single word between them. Now, Cain is also pissed because of how Setsu seemed to attract more men than before and instead of clinging to him, she kept her distance and he had to glare with twice as much intensity to the men checking her out.

As he engaged the deadbolt lock of their hotel room door, Cain heard his sister jump on top of the bed, sighing contentedly. He was tempted to look at her but he didn't. She was giving him the cold shoulder so why should he accept her warmly? But then when he hazarded a glimpse, he stopped. There, splayed at the middle of the bead is his dear beautiful little sister Setsu, playing with her hair and that lacy top barely covering her torso underneath that tight leather prison. But what freaked out – not Cain – but the Ren inside him, is that this is no ordinary bed, it's a king size bed, with a golden silk cover and deep velvet red trimmings, which stood alone in the middle of the room. YES! ALONE in the middle of the room; because so far he hasn't seen any other bed inside the room and he doubts he'd see another one. And what is more outstanding: Setsuka seemed okay with it. In fact, she felt so comfortable she had started to drift off, her eyes heavy and already half-closed.

Ren groaned inside. Maybe it's not just the President but it's the entire universe conspiring against him.

"Setsu" a deep voice called.

"Setsu"

Kyoko sighed. She felt so tired and comfy she can't even open her eyes. The lack of sleep in the past night had taken its toll. And someone is calling her something which is not even her name.

"Setsu" she blinked and saw the face of her senpai. "Tsu—" she started to get up then stopped herself when she remembered her current state. She is now Setsu and not Kyoko. After this realization is another one: her face is barely an inch away from her senpai's. She felt herself flush. He was just so very near and oh how she had missed his face so.

"They gave us the wrong room again" Cain said in a low familiar tone, for which Kyoko was thankful for because he seemed to not have noticed her blush. As expected as Tsuruga-san: sticking to his character while I can't even control being sleepy while I'm being Setsu.

Remembering that Setsu should be feeling annoyed towards her brother, she looked around nonchalantly and answered "There's nothing wrong with it. It's even bigger than the one we had before".

"There's only one bed" Cain stated, as he stretched up to his full height.

"Oh, just that?" Setsu sat up, one arm supporting her body, the other one resting on her leather-clad thigh. "But we've shared a bed together before nii-san? Why would this be such a trouble?" then she sighed dramatically. "Besides I'm soooo tired, I can't possibly go out and move to another room"

Cain looked at his sister, trying hard not to shout at her at the same time attack her, and pretending hard to be cool and calm. "We had two beds in our old place" he simply stated.

But his seemingly icy demeanor shattered when she replied with a cute and overly deliberate pout: "Why Cain? Don't you want to sleep with me?"

(**zf sidenote:** Ganbatte Ren-kun! Harharhar)

* * *

_Where did all those cheeky words come from?_ Kyoko berated herself. She can't believe she said those things to her senpai. No matter how she tried to convince herself that he is now Cain and she is Setsu, they are siblings and such things should just be 'normal' for them, she still can't forgive herself. She just can't.

_And I even made him skip dinner!_ She wailed inside. _But remember, you are Setsu. You are supposed to be angry at your brother because he left you without explanation for a month. You want to make him apologize. If you don't then you are not effective as Setsu at all._

So she composed herself. While her brother was taking a shower, she decided to unpack their things. Her brother's wardrobe is very minimal, a pair black leather pants and 2 black t-shirts, another black long-sleeved shirt, torn black jeans, and black socks. Thankfully, his underwear is stored in a separate pouch (though she doubt if any one of those won't be black). She got all these and arranged them inside the small closet. Then she got her own things. Jelly had provided her with a new set of wardrobe, 2 pairs of leather pants, a black tank top, a black turtleneck with stylized tears across the chest, and then she saw the pouch containing the erokawa underwear she bought the day of Tsuruga-san's accident. As Setsu, her eyes glimmered as she got the small package from the bottom of her bag. She bought three pairs, though one is actually a set of camisole and black silk and lace shorts which Setsu would love to wear to sleep. She brought nothing else – no pajamas, no other shirts that Kyoko would normally wear to bed. And she can't possibly wear her leather pants. She remembered the last time they slept as Cain and Setsu, they had separate beds and after she had taken her shower, her brother had already fallen asleep. She didn't think it would matter much if the same thing happens tonight, so she set aside the very minimal sleepwear and prepared her other things for her shower.

_Does she realize what she just said to me?_ Ren thought as he rinsed himself. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he cannot wash away the inappropriate thoughts inside his head about his kohai – no, his sister – innocently waiting for her turn in the shower at the room outside._ I have to compose myself. I can't let her affect me like that. I must remember that this is Setsu I am dealing with. She's trying to torment her brother by acting cold towards him yet pretending to be sweet. There must be some reason why she's acting like that._ And to help himself, he knew he had to figure out Setsu's feelings right now. When she greeted him she seemed angry and sad at the same time. He has his suspicion, but it is something he needs to confirm. He turned the knob to let cold water spray upon him. After 5 minutes he was effectively shivering from the cold. But he felt much better – much safer. _This is going to be one long night_, he thought as he stepped out of the shower.

Cain stepped out of the shower, toweling his jet black hair, barefoot and naked from the waist up. Only his black pajama bottom covered his other dangerous parts. This, of course registered to her now fearful kohai / defiant little sister. But the kohai is currently out of commission, so he was met with just a short glance and a little huff as she went inside the shower for her turn.

In a way Ren was relieved to get such a reaction. He felt safer, more at peace, he felt confident that he can control himself tonight. Then again, that encounter hurt his pride, validating his knowledge that Kyoko does not see him as a man.

Unbeknownst to him however, the said kohai on the other side of the door is ineffectively rolling herself on the bathroom floor (as the small space can't really allow her to roll completely). _I thought I'd never see that again! That time, at the other hotel the mist sort of affected her vision, and she never got to see much. This time, she only saw half, but she saw it oh so clearly. Should Setsu be feeling like this seeing her brother half naked?_ With that she scolded herself again. Then she remembered what she's supposed to be doing. _Yes! A shower would do me good._

Ren / Cain is still brooding when the object of the former's not too brotherly affection and the latter's brotherly worries got out of the shower. He only heard the knob click, which startled him a bit that he looked up - and looked down again. _NO. She is not wearing that. I must be dreaming again._

Kyoko / Setsu was wrong. When she got out, he was still awake, sitting on the bed and sulking cutely. The Kyoko inside however, was glad, because now Setsu is on the frontlines. Only Setsu can don such sleepwear in front of her brother. So instead of running back, Setsu sauntered towards the bed, discarding the towel she was using to dry herself as she went towards the brother she wished to torment.

Drops of water on her shoulder and collar bone, her face clean and freshly scrubbed, her long legs, the feminine smell… she was just a force that overcame him. He need not look at her again. But he did. No; scratch that. The Emperor of the Night did.

Setsu did see the Emperor of the Night. Cain has never shown that look, well, except when he invited her in the shower before. But like how she was then, she had effectively blocked all of Kyoko's fear towards this particular character. Setsu faced the Emperor head on – literally.

"Are you thinking which side you'll lie down tonight, nii-san?" she murmured sweetly as she sat down on his lap and put her right arm over his broad shoulder. "I really like to sleep on the left, though. Would you let me?" she asked innocently, settling her left forefinger upon her lower lip.

"You know I would Setsu" Cain answered (though Cain is very much away right now). "But you'd have to trade your pillow with my arm – I meant my chest" he answered, without any hint of playfulness.

"Okay!" Setsu answered with cheer and got up to go to the other side of the bed.

Then she found herself pinned to the bed, her brother's arm holding the small of her back, while the other holding her wrist.

It wasn't really terror. It was more like excitement with a bit of apprehension when Kyoko found herself face to face with her senpai who is now on Emperor of the Night-mode. His lips are so near hers, she can see his dark irises, his nose almost touching hers. He had successfully positioned himself so that she doesn't feel his weight upon her. She wanted to say something but she can only swallow the words that won't come out of her mouth.

Then he closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, it was her beloved senpai who is looking down on her and she almost smiled in reflex. Then, he suddenly turned to Cain. "Why are you doing this Setsu? Why are you angry at me?"

Nooooo! I forgot my role again. I was carried away by his acting again. I'm so incompetent! Kyoko wailed inside. But she recovered. Setsu turned her face away from her brother's inquiring face. "Hmpf"

"Why do you ask? Why do you suddenly care? Weren't you the one who left without bringing your little sister with you?" she ranted.

Cain braced himself on the bed, both hands moving on the side of Setsu's face, supporting his whole body. "You know I can't take you with me Setsu. It's work, I can't do anything about it"

"You bring me to work here, while you're filming your movie. Why was that one so different?" she replied, her eyes full of hurt.

Cain sat up. He sat both of them up, supporting her back and sitting her on his lap once again. But now, he locked her into his embrace and murmured beside her earlobe. "I'm so sorry Setsu. I promise you it won't happen again"

"Do you? Promise you'll bring me along wherever you go?" she asked breathlessly, afraid that he would feel the shiver running down her spine.

"I promise" he answered.

He felt her relax inside his embrace. When they parted, he is still Cain but his words did not match Cain's personality at all.

"But you have to keep your promise too"

"Eh?"

"You'll use my chest as your pillow tonight" he answered then smirked, the Emperor brimming around the edges of Cain's persona.

"Ok, nii-san" she said as she went to her place obediently, gave him her pillow, pushed him down on the right side of the bed and rested her head on his chest. "Good night".

This is going to be a long, long night, Ren thought as he closed his eyes and tried to count sheep. He tried really hard, to no avail. But at least he tried.

I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san! But Setsu has a serious brother-complex and right now she really likes the feeling of her head on his chest, his warmth and his super fast heartbeat. She had missed him. She was angry at first but those things Cain said a while ago were enough. Now she's back to being the doting and clingy little sister. Kyoko thought. Though she is really contemplating what this feeling means to her as herself. She scolded herself and unconsciously squirmed closer to the man beside her, who stiffened. Uh oh, did I wake him up? She peered up, but can't see his face. Oh well, Cain and Setsu must have slept like this a million times, Cain should be used to it. So she relaxed herself and settled her hand upon the other side of her brother's chest, touching down to his side, her nose being filled by his scent. She repeated this motion slowly and slowly until she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Setsu woke up with a smile on her face and immediately bustled around the kitchen, not bothering to wear a robe, completely comfortable in Setsu's skin and completely oblivious to the dark stares aimed at her by the Emperor. The Emperor's power however, is not on full force right now, apparently, it needs a whole night's sleep to be effective, and his current host has not gotten a wink of it.

They showered and had breakfast, put on their dark sunglasses, scared away everyone who came within a 5-meter radius, got to the shooting scene on time. It was mid morning when the Director of the film stood beside Setsu and said out loud "If your brother keeps at this, we'll finish this movie ahead of schedule, it's like he even got better since he left". Setsu didn't answer. It was already evident how she fussed over his brother that she's extremely proud of him. "This haggard look really fits this part of the film. BJ is supposed to be battling himself, unraveling, and Cain's eyes and his tired but still dangerous face are just perfect" the Director added. Actor X will be a sure hit once their movie is out. Right then, Cain looked towards them with those scary eyes and the Director realized he's standing within arm's length of Cain's little sister. He jumped out of her immediate vicinity, scratching the back of his head and bowing apologetically towards the actor. He took a mental note to avoid talking and being near the girl again for the remainder of the shooting.

* * *

"Now I'm really worried about what you've been doing in these special assignments from the President" Yashiro said, as they walked towards the studio. Ren has to attend a primetime talk show to promote RMandy.

The actor could just say "Don't worry" because he felt dead tired. Filming with BJ ended at 4PM. He dropped off Kyoko at the back of LME and went directly to his apartment to change and then pick up Yashiro for this engagement. At around nine, he'll be going back to the hotel, Jelly will meet him at the parking lot to give them fresh supplies for their disguise as the Heel siblings. Kyoko will finish her LoveMe Task (as Bo) for the day much later and will be at the hotel around 11 PM. She is currently filming a few scenes for Box-R from which she will go directly to the set of Kimagure Rock. If he was really lucky, Cain will have at least an hour of good sleep until Setsu comes in. And then his heaven / hell will start all over again. He also realized that he must deserve this, because Lory did tell him that Kyoko was really worried when he left. Being the gentle and loving person she is, she must have really been hurt when he went away without any explanation. In a way she is punishing him, without meaning to, of course. Well, if it was her, he's willing to be punished any time. I'm turning into a damn masochist. Then he sighed.

"What is it now? Are you alright? Do you have a headache? Do you need some medicine?" Yashiro fussed.

"I'm fine"

* * *

Kyoko closed the door of the hotel room softly. She expected her senpai to already be there and when she opened the door and found the lights out, she thought he must be already asleep. She's still in her Setsu disguise, but her make-up is Natsu's. She tiptoed towards the bed, and true enough, her senpai is sleeping his handsome face illuminated by the soft lamplight. She sat on the bed, near him to stare in wonder. How could anyone be so breathtakingly beautiful? Unknowingly, she brushed aside a few strands of hair from his face. His brow furrowed and she just stared on. He sighed. She traced his jawline with her fingertips.

"Kyoko" he murmured.

For a moment she thought she had woken him up. But then she saw his eyes still closed the wrinkles on his brow settled.

She sighed with relief. What are you doing touching him and all? Er—I'm Setsu right now, right? But why did he just call me by my real name, in his sleep?

Ren woke up in the dark. He was only planning on an hour-long nap, after which he'd have late dinner with Setsu. But he had probably slept on longer, because the digital clock on the bedside table showed 2:17 AM. He shifted his position but he couldn't, something was splayed across his torso. He gingerly touched the object and felt a lock of hair. Kyoko? He suddenly turned on the bedside lamp and found Kyoko, or rather Kyoko's head resting upon his chest. No, it was not Setsu, because Setsu doesn't have short-cropped light brown hair. So, this is definitely his Kyoko and no one else. Or could it be – Natsu? Because Kyoko wouldn't do anything remotely similar to sleeping with her senpai's body as a pillow, a very big pillow at that, because she is also embracing him, her arm draped across his slim waist and one of her long legs is entwined with his. Half of him wanted to wake her up and scold her, doing something so – so provocative and dangerous. But the other half just wanted to lay back and stroke her hair and whisper affectionate words. If I wake her up, she'd definitely freak out OR she'd act like Setsu and tease me even more. Both options are unthinkable right now. So he just let her be. He'd just figure out what to do when she wakes up in his arms, not as Setsu, but as Kyoko. He almost laughed in amusement at the thought. He looked down at her again and noticed what she is wearing; Kyoko in Setsu's sleepwear doesn't look too bad, he thought.

The next day, Kyoko woke up with the smell of burnt 'something'. She immediately sat up and noticed she was alone at the bed. She could not contemplate on what had transpired the night before, because the offending smell just became overpowering, add this to the fact a sizzling sound can be heard from the small kitchen of their hotel room. So she jumped out of bed and immediately ran towards the source. There, still half naked, her senpai is trying to stir something, something that is already quite burnt, in a small pan.

"What are you doing? What is that?" she asked as she stalked beside him.

"Uhm—egg rolls?"

"Huh?" she looked up at him in confusion. "That" she pointed at the mass inside the pan "is most definitely not egg rolls"

"Well, they looked like egg rolls when I got them from the ref" he answered innocently, that puppy-dog look starting to show.

Then she remembered, the okami-san made her some egg-rolls last night so she didn't have to buy dinner. Since Tsuruga-san was already asleep when she came in, she just put them inside the ref for the next day's breakfast.

She turned off the gas range and politely said to her senpai "I think I'll take it from here, nii-san"

Ren looked startled at her statement. Here I was thinking Kyoko and Ren are playing house.

He let go of the pan and faced her, startling her when he took her face in both hands and kissed

- her forehead.

(**zf sidebar: ****haha.. what were you guys thinking? The real KISS would be on their wedding day.. though I'm not saying I'd include that in this story..**)

"Thank you Kyoko" he said softly then he walked away, leaving her standing there, her eyes wide open and face flushed.

Wha-? Why? Oh.. Kyoko touched her face and realized something. Noooo… I forgot to put on Setsu's wig! That's why he called me Kyoko. He just punished me! OH Nooooo.. I'm so unprofessional; I'm an embarrassment as a kohai. I can't even maintain my physical appearance.. Noooo…

Again; with the twisted logic. This did not however register in the other person's radar. He was too happy that morning that he even decided to make the bed. It would be great if we're like this everyday; she'll cook breakfast and I'll make the bed and then we'll feed each other.. blah blah..

They are both hopeless, really.

* * *

That morning, they went together to the Dark Moon shoot. Though the morning started well, it turned out not to Ren's liking when Kyoko plastered herself into the passenger seat of Ren's car and angled herself away from him as much as she possibly can. If it was any other person, that person would have major cramps after the 20-minute car ride. But this was Kyoko, she's not normal at all. After they had parked, the young actress immediately removed her seatbelt and tried to open the door to scamper away.

"Wait, Mogami-san" the most popular actor in Japan said calmly.

Kyoko stiffened, afraid to face him. Curiously, the dark aura that her grudges so adore does not manifest itself as frequently as it commonly did before. Her fear now was more of a protective reflex when she did something stupid that she knew her senpai would definitely disapprove.

"Won't you tell me what's wrong?" he asked, frustration evident in his voice.

She was still afraid to look at him but decided to face her fate anyway. She settled properly on the seat, and very slowly looked at him in the eyes. His expression startled her. It's the puppy-dog look! Why's he wearing that expression? It's totally inappropriate with the situation. I was the one who did something wrong. I slipped with my role. I failed at being Setsu. So why?

"Was it because of this morning? Did I say or do something to offend you again, Mogami-san?"

"NOOOOO! NO! I should be the one apologizing Tsuruga-san!" she screamed at him. She was positioned to make a dogeza, but sitting inside a sportscar just wouldn't cut it, so she can only bow as much as her position can allow. "I again failed in my role. This morning, when I came to you in the kitchen, I wasn't wearing Setsu's hair, and you even had to remind me. I'm still so unprofessional, I don't deserve to call you senpai" she added, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes.

"Huh? When did I? I mean, I didn't even notice you weren't being Setsu. You called me 'nii-san' and you definitely acted like Setsu". Now that is one smooth lie Tsuruga Ren.

"But, but why did you call me Kyoko?" she asked, confused.

"Well, if I did so, then I was the one who slipped" he said as he removed his seatbelt.

"But – but Tsuruga-san can't make a mistake like that!" she exclaimed.

Ren chuckled. "I'm not perfect Mogami-san. I can slip at times as well. Please do not trouble yourself any more about it. You were not at fault. In fact, I should be thanking you for saving the kitchen from being burned to the ground by Cain"

She remained silent. But when Ren looked, it's like she's still trying to figure everything out inside her, seeing her numerous and various expressions. "Shall we go, Mogami-san?" he asked calmly, lest he trigger another vigorous round of apologies from her.

She nodded and took off her own seatbelt. And they walked together to the set.

* * *

End of Chapter

* * *

I decided to cut this chapter and present it into 2 parts because it's become sorely long (Almost 25 pages in word file). I've decided to retain the title I've originally thought for the chapter because chapter 5 is basically just to set up chapter 6. Again, I found it very hard to write. The ideas are there, circling inside my head, but the words don't flow properly. They have been quite elusive lately—just when I actually already thought about a sequel / futurefic for this story.. whahaha.. Sometimes I can get too far ahead of myself. For the wrong grammar and other errors, I apologize. I don't know any beta readers and I'm kinda shy so.. well.. you just have to bear with me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: REALITY BITES  
**

**Chapter 6:** Farewell Little Sister – Part II

**Disclaimer:** I am no mangaka so I don't own Skipbeat!

**Setting:** A month after the Chapter 167 in the manga.

**Note:** Thanks to everyone who favorite-d my story. To **leavesfallingup-san**, I love you very much! You write the awesome-st fanfictions ever! To **Jhiz-san**, thank you for your kind words (all invented words in this statement are invented by my crazy self deliberately XD – zf)

Also, the Dark Moon ending as stated in this chapter is not based on the manga. It's just from my imagination. This is so I can set the timeline for the new drama Ren and Kyoko will be starring in. Hope this doesn't create any confusion.

_**

* * *

**_

Excerpt from DARK MOON:

"Who are you?" he asked in the darkness. The shadows hid any thing that moved, but he definitely saw someone inside the room.

"You're late sensei" she answered from the corner. This startled him and he whipped his head back towards the sound of her voice.

"They have taken your dear Mizuki-chan" the voice added. "You should hurry"

"Where? Where have they taken her?" he asked frantically. It was his fault. He failed in his vow. He fell in love. And now he will lose the woman that he loves because of his own desire for revenge.

"Why should I tell you?" the voice cannot hide the hatred and the menace.

He heard her walking towards him, he took the gun from the small of his back, ready to fire at any threat.

"You shouldn't do that, sensei, or you'll never get to see Mizuki-chan again" she snickered, unafraid. And in that moment, the lightning from outside revealed her twisted and scarred face.

"Hongo-san, please tell me where they took her" he pleaded, as he lowered the gun to his side.

She smiled that evil yet melancholy smile "No, I won't tell you"

His hand trembled as he raised the gun again. If he needs to, he'll threaten her. He didn't even care to think whether or not a threat at gunpoint will affect her.

"I won't tell you Katsuki-sensei. I'll show you"

_**End of EXCERPT**_

  
"CUT!" Director Ogata shouted.

All the other crew and staff who have already recovered from the scene clapped their hands. The others just stood there, dumfounded by the actors' performance.

Ogata beamed at his two talented actors. "That was brilliant, you two! I've never been half as scared in my life. The energy was just so alive. I don't think we can do another take as perfect as that"

Ren bowed, but Kyoko was still Mio, the last evil grin is still etched in her mouth.

_She's probably thinking about the next scene where she'll get to finally torture her sister, _Ogata thought.

"I think we should proceed to the next scene" Ren suggested.

"OH, yes of course. Let's go. Everyone! Let's proceed to the basement scene!" he yelled, his small body barely containing his enthusiasm. Ren smiled and then turned towards his kohai who is still planning which weapon is best to use to torment her character's sister.

"Uhm- Mogami-san?"

Ren tapped her shoulder "Mogami-san" he called louder.

"Kyoko" he said softly.

Her shoulders bunched and then relaxed. Then she faced him, a small innocent smile etched on her face, never mind the scar that predominates, she's as cute as ever, he thought. "Let's go Tsuruga-san".

_**Excerpt from DARK MOON:**_

The climax is set inside the basement of the Hongo Mansion. Misao, Katsuki's fiancé had found out about her beloved's affair with her younger cousin, while her parents were informed of the fact that the said fiancé of their daughter is bent on revenge against their family. They had also found out that they are in the brink of bankruptcy. In order to run away from their debts, they have framed Katsuki, generating false evidence to show that he had used his connection with the Hongos to ruin them financially, thus destroying their reputation. With this, Katsuki was thrown out of the school where he works and is taken to jail. He escapes to return to Mizuki and ask her to run away, but he had found the mansion empty, except for Mio, who had been forgotten by her family amidst the chaos. At the opening of the next scene, the two unexpected allies are running towards the basement.

Katsuki's face is a mask of confusion and fear. All he can do now is trust this girl, this girl who had mocked him and had verbalized her suspicions against him. But since the first time he had seen Mio and Misao together, he knew that Mio hated her sister. She hated Mizuki as well. She hated her parents and him. But somehow, she hated her sister more. And with this knowledge, he knew he can trust her just this once.

"Why are you doing this, Hongo-san?" he asked, sticking to using her formal name.

The girl just chuckled darkly in return. " 'Why?' you ask? Well, because I want to. Don't you think this is exciting Katsuki-sensei? I believe someone will die tonight. And I want to be there."

The air inside the basement felt damp, the walls smelled of mildew. They descended slowly, to minimize any noise that may alert their queries as to their presence.

As Katsuki walked down, he just realized how broken this girl is. In truth, they are but the same: both of them full of hate towards the world. And like the thunder and the lightning conspiring to create a raging storm outside, the two of them, so different yet so alike are here now, running to face the fruits of their hatred.

They finally reached the landing; the basement welcomed them with darkness. "Where have they gone?" Katsuki asked with frustration in his voice.

"There" Mio pointed to the double oak doors, which at first glance cannot be seen amidst the shadows. "That door leads to a path in the middle of the woods, then to a clearing. There's a high cliff there. They must be planning to escape by boat. We own a small yacht which they must have docked near the shore, but the way there would be treacherous. They would have to climb down to the base of the cliff. Really, I never thought my parents were this adventurous" she answered, her dark amusement unconcealed.

"Then we must hurry" Katsuki started. He had taken a few strong steps towards the door when he noticed that the girl had not followed him. He looked back at her, afraid she will refuse to help him now.

"And when you find them, what do you plan to do, Katsuki-sensei?" she asked, her face hidden by the shadows. "You think you can use that gun? Can you really kill someone?"

He didn't know what to answer her. He was just too desperate, all he thought about was getting here and taking Mizuki as far away as possible. He never thought it will come to that – that he will need to hurt someone.

"If I need to, I will" he said in resignation.

"Tch. I don't think you can. You're just not the type, sensei. I mean, you wanted to take revenge against my father by using my sister, but what did you do? You fell in love with my cousin" she said as she slowly made her way towards him. Then she laughed. It chilled his bones. It was a cold and lonely laugh. "So I ask you again? Can you do it?" Her face is now only inches away from him.

He turned around. "It's not about my revenge any more. I just want Mizuki to be safe. And if I need to use this" he held out the gun in front of his face, "I will, to protect her". Then he trudged towards the door and opened it to reveal a storm-damaged sky.

They both ran across the woods, with him occasionally slipping in the wet mudded path. He's still wearing the clothes he last wore in school, right before the police took him. His dress shoes are now ruined but it didn't matter. All he could think about is Mizuki.

Finally, they reached the clearing, and true enough, he can hear the raging waves so very near. What caught his attention, however, were the two figures walking towards the edge of the cliff.

Katsuki ran as if his life depended on it. He'd know that other figure anywhere. He can see from a distance her torn uniform and her wet hair running down her back. Someone is dragging her to the edge of the cliff, her limp form so pityingly small in the cold and wet background.

"Misao!" he shouted and the two forms stopped. The other figure, dressed in a now damp maroon turtleneck shirt faced him, her eyes full of rage and contempt, and madness.

He walked towards them. He saw the blade that his fiancé is holding against the younger woman's neck.

"Don't come near, Katsuki" she warned with shaky breath, while tears just streamed down from her hostage's eyes.

He walked towards them slowly. "Misao, please, you don't want to do this" he pleaded, his gun pointed to the ground.

"Why? Tell me? This bitch stole you away from me!" Misao screamed.

"No. No, no, no. Please listen, Misao. It was my fault. Mizuki has nothing to do with this" he pleaded.

"Hah! You can't fool me. You've completely fallen for her: the perfect little Miss Mizuki.." she spat as she tightened her grip of her hostage's neck. "Everyone! All of you! All of you wanted to see me miserable… my sister, this bitch, and you!" she cried unashamedly, her other hand pointing at him. "I loved you, Katsuki"

"I'm so sorry. So sorry. It was my fault. Please let her go and take me instead. I'm the one who hurt you, Misao"

"It's too late, darling. If I can't have you, then nobody will"

At this time, they have reached the edge of the cliff. Misao took her arm off of her cousin, and by then, he'd known what she intended to do. His gun discarded, Katsuki ran towards the two of them, pulling Mizuki into his embrace. Misao, however, lost her balance, and started to plunge down to the raging waters below, saved only by a handhold she had maintained on the cliff face.

Another figure picked up the discarded gun and walked slowly to the cliff edge, there, her sister is hanging with a mere handhold. "Hello Misao-chan" she greeted, bitterness welling over her entire being. "Have you said your prayers?" she asked, slowly pointing the gun down at her.

Then a small voice caught her attention, somehow more boisterous than the raging storm above. "No, please don't Mio-san"

Mio's hand shook. _Why? Why can't I pull the trigger? _And she screamed with all her hatred and anger "ARRGGGGGHHHHHHH"

"Drop the gun Mio!" another voice said, this one belonging to her dear father.

She looked back at them: her father, mother, and their most trusted bodyguard, the latter standing there, his gun pointed at her. She laughed.

"Would you rather have the gun at me or rescue you favorite daughter who is ready to take a deep plunge to her death, father?" she sneered. "Sister is already awfully tired down the—"

Her voice was cut off by a gunshot. As she threatened to topple off to the ocean, Katsuki jumped and pulled her aside. Mizuki, despite her trauma, had managed to pull herself up and offer her hand to Misao "Misao-san please take my hand" But the woman was now beyond help, her eyes had glazed over, fear and hatred alternating to cross her face. "Please Misao-san" Mizuki asked, her voice raspy and small. But by then, all strength had left the older woman and she finally let go—plunging to the depths below.

"Noooooooo!" their mother's voice pierced the night.

She wailed and was left sobbing on her knees. Mizuki had crawled to where the shaking Mio is being held in Katsuki's arm.

"It's all your fault" the Hongo matriarch said. "It's all your fault!" then she took the bodyguards gun and fired it at Katsuki only to be shielded by Mizuki's frail and small body.

Her body became limp, as he received her in his other good arm. He could only stare in shock. "I'm sorry Katsuki-san" she said with a small voice. He brushed the wet hair from her face, and looked into her eyes.

"No, don't say that. I should be the one—" she stopped him with a frail squeeze of his hand.

"Please take care of Mio… for me. She needs someone to love her. Promise me" she said as her body shook.

"I promise Mizuki".

She closed her eyes as her dying breath escaped her. He looked up at the sky. The rain had stopped falling. The sirens pierced the air of the coming dawn.

_**End of EXCERPT**_

"CUT!" Director Ogata shouted after a full minute of silence.

The actors stirred from their positions. Ren helped Momose up and they bowed to each other in acknowledgement. The crew surrounding them, however, has not yet fully recovered. They all just stood there, dumbfounded, their equipment still in position. Most of them are wet and looking disheveled but they didn't seem to mind.

"I think that's a wrap" Ogata said wistfully, though a little sadly.

Ren, however, was entirely focused on his kohai who has not stirred nor stood up from her position laying down beside his feet. "Mogami-san" he called softly.

"Mogami-san, are you alright?" he asked as he softly held her shoulder. _Was she hurt because of the fall?_ Then he started to be really concerned. "Mogami-san, are you hurt?"

And then she suddenly sat up and clung to him, wailing "Noooo..! Mizuki is dead. She's dead! Tsuruga-san, Katsuki, he, she- Nooo!"

Ren sighed. He was glad she's alright, just a little shaken by their last scene.

"It was that good, huh?" the man holding the microphone asked the guy beside him.

"It was. Man, I thought the whole time I was seeing real blood and people really dying. I've never seen anything like it" the cameraman added.

Director Ogata smiled. _I will definitely cast these people on my next production._

And with this, filming for Dark Moon ended. There were no other retakes done. The last three scenes were perfect. The other effects of the storm will be added in the final editing and only the crew was left for the clean-up of the equipment and the set. Yashiro walked beside his charge and his adopted charge (Kyoko) whose face is still a bit red from crying. She had apologized profusely, of course, to everyone (she took the time to visit them in their dressing trailers) for being so unprofessional and for crying after the final take. She was met, however, with warm smiles and amused chuckles. Ren was finally able to coax her away and convince her to change into her dry clothes (also for his own comfort as her dress clung to her body too much for her own good).

"You were both so scary in those last few scenes" Yashiro commented after they have dropped off Kyoko at the Darumaya. "I was just watching on the sidelines but I can feel all the emotions. It's too bad that poor Mizuki died, but I would have been more affected if Mio or Katsuki died". Ren raised his eyebrows. His manager knew the ending of the story. He knew that Mizuki will die in the final episode. So why would he say such a thing? It's true that the strength of Mio's character has somewhat overpowered all the other characters, but he just can't imagine the viewers preferring to sympathize with Mio rather than Mizuki.

"Your final 'special secret assignment' for the president will be tonight, right Ren? It said in your schedule it will last well into the night, so make sure that you will eat and take enough rest. I'll meet you at LME tomorrow for your 2PM casting call with Kyoko-chan. Did I already say that you should eat enough? You should because if not Kyoko-chan will really be mad at me. You should keep your strength up because you start filming with your new drama WITH KYOKO-CHAN on Thursday. And you know how KYOKO-CHAN can be like if she finds out you didn't eat right. Hey, Ren, are you listening?"

Ren heard all the 'Kyoko-chans' in his Manager's tirade. But he was just too preoccupied thinking about tonight; the last night of Cain and Setsu Heel. How can he forget?

"Now where have you gone off to?" Yashiro demanded. He's been badgering Ren the entire ride to LME, but he hasn't gotten anything except 2 long sighs.

"It's nothing. You should just relax Yashiro-san. I'll do everything you said" Ren answered just to make him shut up.

Yashiro looked at him suspiciously "Really? You're just saying that so I would stop asking. Something happened again with Kyoko-chan, huh?"

"No. We are completely fine. She was fine when we dropped her off right?" Ren answered, flashing an annoyed but still gentlemanly smile.

_Crap. That smile again. When can get some vaccine to be immune against it?_ "Okay. Just make sure you won't be late tomorrow at your casting call. I'm sure Kyoko-chan will be just as excited!" he almost squealed, as he skipped to the Managers' office to pick-up the scripts that Ren will have to review.

* * *

Ren wandered around the shopping district, slouching as much as possible to disguise his height and build. He's wearing an old bomber jacket he borrowed from the wardrobe department and a dark grey wool cap and big shades. He had yet to change into Cain but he really wanted to buy a present for Setsu, a sort of parting gift. He wondered if she had realized that this will be their last night together as the Heel siblings. If she had, she's not showing it or she's probably not bothered by it, finally completing her LoveMe Task. He sighed again. What would be the perfect gift for a cute little doting sister? Then a small shop along the way caught his attention. It advertised that the craftsmen inside are able to replicate any type of jewelry at an appraised fee. He closed his hand on the pendant around his neck and entered.

In her room in the Darumaya, freshly showered Kyoko paced to and fro. She had just happily checked her notebook for her schedule and realized that tomorrow would be the casting call for the new drama. She had been so very busy that she had forgotten creating her perfect Aiki. _How could you even think that? You can't even create a tolerable Aiki much more a perfect one! You are so unprofessional!_ Her head between her hands, she swiftly paced, threatening to produce fire from the friction between her feet and the wooden floor.

Then she stopped and remembered. If tomorrow is the casting call, then tonight – tonight will be the last night she will play Setsu Heel. This is her last chance to ask her senpai for help. She had promised herself that she would not bother him any more, but desperate times call for desperate measures! She had decided, she would ask Tsuruga-san what it feels like to have a one-sided love.

The next problem though is: HOW? With that, she finally cried out, scaring the early evening diners downstairs. The Taisho just shook his head, as the okami-san looked up the stairs worriedly.

* * *

Cain was already waiting in the car when Setsu hopped in. She's now wearing a dark purple bustier, with leather pants that have slits along the sides covered by intertwined black strings. It doesn't show much of her thighs, but to Ren, it showed more than enough to make him sweat. He grumbled as he started the car.

"We should eat first nii-san. We still have an hour until your shoot" Setsu commented, bobbing her head up and down with the soft music emanating from the car radio. It was a hard rock metal number.

"Where do you want to eat?" he asked, expression unchanged.

Setsu thought for a bit "Uhm… can we go to that place with harmburger steaks?" she asked.

"Are you sure? You might not fit into those clothes once we finished eating" he teased but with his face still set in Cain's signature scowl.

"What? I'm not fat! Cain!"

Then he smiled, and it wasn't Cain when he looked at her. It's THAT look: the one that makes the heart flutter and the cheeks flush. Setsu looked at the road in front of her to hide her red face.

"Just go. This is our last night together so you should really spoil me" she said hastily, with a hint of sadness. Cain just drove, unsure of what to say.

* * *

Saying goodbye is always a sad affair. There will always be things left unsaid, questions left hanging, and answers left unspoken. They ate Kyoko's favorite hamburger with egg, even Cain finished his hamburger without a fuss. Then they proceeded to the set. They are professionals after all.

To make the background believable, the director decided to shoot the final scenes in the dark alley, where BJ will finally meet his end. The scenes were so intense but Kyoko was focused on what's going on inside her rather than the outside. And Ren was too focused on helping himself not to lose control that he failed to notice the emotions playing across her kohai's countenance.

She had cried earlier not only because of Mizuki's death, but because in a way, Mio has died too. Once the final shot was taken, it was time to let go of the character. Mio was scary and hard and troubled, but Kyoko had come to treasure her in a way. Not playing Mio any more feels like letting a part of her die silently. And then there's Setsu. If Mio became treasured, Setsu became like the ideal role. True, she was not a princess or an ojou-sama, but she has a brother who truly cherished her. She would miss the warmth she always feels when Cain would hold her in his arms, where she always felt safe and secure and happy. She would miss all the faces that he makes, how he's so strong yet so vulnerable at the same time. Something squeezed her heart as she thought about all this. Figuring out Aiki's character has been temporarily forgotten as she dwelled on their impending separation. _You're still going to be with Tsuruga-san, in your new drama, he would still be your senpai (hopefully). _But Kyoko knew there would be a difference. Setsu was free to hold Cain's hand, to fuss over him, to take care of him, to ask him about his troubles, while Cain would always listen and would always care no matter how unreasonable or childish Setsu may seem. Their normal senpai – kohai relationship will never be like this. As a kohai, she can't really ask for and exercise such liberties. And this fact pained her somewhat. She held inside the tears that threatened to spill. Right now, she has to stay in character – she has to finish the role to perfection until the end. That's how a professional should be.

* * *

He drove into a small clearing atop a knoll, overlooking the city of Tokyo. She never knew such a wonderful place existed. Seeing the lights of the city in the slowly lightening sky brought a sense of peace inside her. But still, there is that feeling of melancholy, a feeling of things ending and of saying goodbye.

"This is for you" Cain said she he handed her a small rectangular box.

Not knowing how to respond, she just took it and opened to find a replica of his pendant, the one he always wore even when he's playing a role. "Bu- bu- but Tsuruga-san! Uh, I mean nii-san, I can't take this"

He looked at her adoringly. "It's a gift from your brother. And Kyoko should not worry because it's not expensive"

Looking at the gift, Kyoko's heart ached even more. How can she properly say goodbye to Setsu and especially to Cain in this case?

"Then, can you put it on me, nii-san" she asked.

Ren was startled but recovered his composure. He took the piece of jewelry and unclasped the hooks. Kyoko has properly positioned herself, holding away Setsu's long hair to make it easier for him to put the necklace around her neck. When it was done (miraculously despite his trembling hands), she looked at it and smiled, tears freely flowing from her eyes.

"What's wrong Mogami-san? Did I hurt you?" Ren panicked.

"No..uhn.. I'm just a little sad. Two characters I played ended just a few short hours apart" she said, smiling sadly. "I just feel like parts of me died".

He gave her THAT look again. "I know what you mean. That is because in every role we play, we do put a little of our own selves inside. That's why you're an effective actress Mogami-san" he explained.

"Is that so? Then that means I have a bit of Mio inside me too and a bit of Setsu?" she inquired curiously.

He nodded.

"And you have a bit of Katsuki and Cain and BJ inside you as well?"

He nodded.

Then she thought about it. Katsuki and Tsruruga-san, both are in love with girls who are much younger than they are and both under somewhat forbidden circumstances (though about Tsuruga-san she's not sure why). And Cain, being overly devoted to his sister, with the puppy dog eyes (with this she looked at him in wonder). And BJ, a psychopath, with a temper and capacity for extreme violence – the temper she's a bit acquainted with, but the violence? Tsuruga-san can never be violent (she shook her head).

"What are you thinking about Mogami-san?"

"Uh—OH nothing; I'm just trying to imagine you being all those other characters. It's a bit hard, but well, you're a professional"

Ren chuckled. "I know you'll figure it out soon enough. You said you want to find out the true Mogami Kyoko, then you should think about it and take note. Know how you can relate to each and every character you play. And then you'll know how to capture their every feeling, their desires, their dreams, their heatbreaks" he said. "And along the way, maybe you'll find yourself."

Kyoko nodded.

Right then, the sun has begun its ascent over the horizon. They sat there silently, each in his / her own thoughts, until the dawn finally gave way to morning. Ren knew this is one of those moments he will treasure for the rest of his life. He knew he will do anything to stay by her side. Kyoko, on the other hand, looked at the sky with renewed hope. With her big brother / senpai beside her, she felt like nothing can ever trouble her ever.

"Shall we go? We have an appointment with Director Ayane later" he asked. She nodded and they drove away.

Their meager belongings didn't require a lot of packing. Ren had his satchel, Kyoko had her trusty backpack. Once they have gathered all their personal items, Kyoko stood by the bed and said "Honestly, I'm going to miss this place". It was that last line that made Ren lose control. He hurled himself at her and they both landed on the soft mattress, her body pinned beneath his. It was a full agonizing minute until he finally realized she wasn't moving. She was not squirming to be released and she's not stiff with horror. She was clinging to him like he was her lifeline, her semi-gloved hand latched on the back of his jacket. And she said in a small voice "But I'm going to miss my nii-san the most". She cried and sobbed silently in his arms, he took her and laid her down properly on the bed, then he lay down beside her and gathered her into his arms. "I'm going to miss you too" he whispered to her ear as they both fell asleep.

* * *

End of Chapter 

* * *

Oh well, that is the conclusion of Cain & Setsu. The last part was really the focal point of the last two chapters. I just imagined what it would be like when Setsu and Cain parted and this is what I came up with. Kyoko has sort of unconsciously recognized that she has some sort of affection for Ren not just Cain, while Ren still believes that her reactions were only dictated by her strong kinship with her role as Setsu. I'll try to write about such complicated stuff in the coming chapters because right now I'm just rambling… I know a lot of you have included my story in their alert list but I would be really ecstatic to receive those awesome reviews! (The longest fanfic I've written is 16 Chapters long for the Eyeshield 21 fandom and it's received 95 reviews thus far.. YAY! That's the most any of my stories have ever received and I wanna receive MORE! Yeah, so I'm a review monster.. Is that too much to ask? You can be greedy sometimes, right? T.T) 


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: REALITY BITES  
**

**Chapter 7:** Chicken Memories

**Disclaimer:** I don't own SKIP BEAT!

**Setting:** After the Cain & Setsu Heel arc and filming of Dark Moon

**Note:** Thank you to those who answered my request for reviews. I am most grateful. 

* * *

They woke up with the incessant buzzing of Ren's mobile phone. True to his diligent and almost too disciplined nature (as instilled by his manager and dictated by his public persona), Tsuruga Ren has set his alarm 3 hours before his most immediate appointment. The truth was he expected to get blind drunk after filming with BJ ended – knowing that he will be saying goodbye to one of the most memorable characters he had ever played: Cain Heel, and knowing that he will be wallowing in self-pity for not being able to express his true feelings to the girl that he loves. And thus – the wake-up alarm. The phone kept buzzing and so he retrieved it from the pocket of his leather pants. The clock showed 10:05. He wasn't expecting on spending most of the morning sleeping with the object of his affection in his arms. He looked beside him, to her still sleeping face and he felt both happy and melancholic inside. She said she's going to miss him; though he knew it was Cain she was referring to and not her senpai. Still, any moment spent with her is enough to comfort the emptiness he will be feeling when she is no longer in his arms.

"Mogami-san" he softly called.

She stirred. "Uhmnnn"

"Mogami-san, we should be going now or we'll be late for our meeting with Director Ayane"

"Hmmm.." she answered as she unconsciously twisted her body to lie on her back, giving him a full view of her leather-clad chest and bare shoulders.

"Kyoko, wake up" he murmured, focusing on her face so as to avoid any more unnecessary thoughts.

She blinked a couple of times. "Huh? Where? Wha?- "

Their time together as Cain & Setsu ended with her struggling to her feet on the bed and bowing in an extreme dogeza, apologizing profusely for sleeping on the job, being an unprofessional, being a disrespectful kohai, etc etc. She was only convinced to stand up when he told her that they need to leave the hotel right away so they can still both have some time to prepare for their 2 PM appointment. Then, he didn't need to tell her twice; she was out the door within 5 seconds.

_So much for an emotional farewell, _he thought. In a way he was glad that her being flustered had prevented her from remembering why exactly they shared a bed that morning, or else it would have been mighty harder to pry her off the ground and revive her from being the dark entity she becomes when she's truly troubled.

* * *

Kyoko was early. She arrived at the Darumaya where Tsuruga-san dropped her off around 10:30. By 11 am she was already dressed for the day. She had tried helping for the lunch hour at the restaurant but the okami-san told her to just stay inside her room and rest. The truth was, the lady felt that the girl is again troubled by something and may need a little time to settle down before going to work, or the poor customers will be the ones suffering.

But she can't settle down. She had forgotten the most important thing she should have done the night before. She forgot to ask her senpai how it feels like to have a one-sided love. She will be meeting the cast and Director Ayane at 2 PM this afternoon and she has no idea how to act out Aiki's character. So, she decided to leave early and head out to LME, still not knowing what to do and who to ask for advice.

It was the agitated Kyoko that Kotonami Kanae saw as she entered the LoveMe office. Agitated was not really the proper description; perhaps- gloomy? dismal? overcome by darkness? Whatever it was, it was that feeling when the first LoveMe member has suddenly remembered her childhood friend or saw one of his PVs or heard him being the topic of a passing conversation. That is the most accurate state of the budding actress as her bestfriend entered their domain. The girl even failed to render her usual greeting of tackling her bestfriend and clinging on to her leg for more than 5 minutes.

In a way this disappointed the said best friend, though she was also relieved that another physical assault has been avoided. Kyoko continued on mumbling to herself darkly, gathering all the negative forces around her. And then she stopped, her eyes suddenly looked determined. "That's it! I just have to remember what he said to Bo! I am Bo after all!" she shouted vigorously. Then she swiftly turned her head to the other side of the table where Kanae now sat and recognition dawned. Kanae gulped. The attack cannot be avoided after all, she thought, as Kyoko rushed to her with her signature squeal: "MOKO-SAAAAANNN!"

A few minutes after their usual ritual re-acquaintance, Kanae was finally able to have her LoveMe buddy spill-out her predicament.

"Mo! Why did you even accept the role without reading the script or even the character profile?" the raven-haired beauty scolded.

"I know I should have. But even if I did read the script first I have no other choice! It's a LoveMe assignment so I have to do it" Kyoko answered dejectedly.

_So this is one of the President's plots? _Kanae shivered as she realized that she may be receiving her own LoveMe task in the not so distant future. _If he wants Kyoko to play a lovesick girl, what will he ask me to play then?_ The answer was just too scary to comprehend.

"But what about the chicken?" Kanae suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"You were talking about Bo a while ago. Isn't that the name of the chicken?"

"Oh, that, well I just remembered about what Tsuruga-san had said to me, I mean to Bo. That was a while back and he doesn't even know I'm Bo—". Kyoko's eyes then widened and she slapped her mouth. "Oh no! I shouldn't have said that! No one knows Tsuruga-san's secret except Bo, and I shouldn't be the one talking about it.."

"Mo! I'm not going to talk to Tsuruga-san and I don't care about his secrets. If you don't want to tell then it's fine!" she huffed, though a bit intrigued about THE Tsuruga Ren's supposed secret.

Not surprisingly, her doubting best-friend act worked on the younger actress "Okay, I'll tell you about it, but promise me that you won't say anything to anyone."

Kanae rolled her eyes. "Fine"

"Uhm.. well you see, one time Tsuruga-san was having some trouble with one of his characters, actually it was a word in the dialogue that troubled him" Kyoko started. "And it just so happened I was there, but I was wearing my Bo costume and I helped him with his problem" she tried to keep her face set and serious, though a giggle is threatening to escape her remembering her senpai's confusion with the meaning of 'tentekomai'. "Anyway, Bo became a sort of friend to Tsuruga-san and the next time he was there and I met him again as Bo, he told me about his secret er- love"

Hearing this information Kanae perked up. _Secret love? The great unflappable Tsuruga Ren, with a secret love? Is this for real? _She repressed an evil grin at finally finding some dirt against the seemingly all-too-perfect actor.

"And so? What has this got to do with your role?" she asked.

"Well, you see, Tsuruga-san said he's in love with a girl who is 4 years younger than he is and a she's also a high school student. He said it won't be right for him to pursue her. He seemed really sad then" Kyoko said somberly.

Kanae thought hard on this. _He said she's 4 years younger and a high school student. If my knowledge is correct, Tsuruga Ren is only around 21 years old so his secret love would be around 17? That's hardly any reason not to court her. 17-year old girls are practically grown-ups and last time I checked such relationships are not really prohibited by law. _She looked at Kyoko, who still looked somber and asked "Did he tell you the name of this girl?"

"Uh No; I told him it's OK for me not to know names. But he seemed really caught up with this girl. I mean, why would he be so troubled? He can make any girl fall in love with him, he's the great Tsuruga Ren! The girl's probably not right in the head or she already has a boyfriend" she exclaimed and then started to brood.

_Not right in the head? Or maybe dense? _Kanae thought. _Could it be? _She had seen how that pretentious co-star killer had looked at her best friend at times and she could swear that there's more to that senpai-kohai relationship than he lets on.

"So I thought, maybe I should try to pretend I'm in Tsuruga-san's shoes.. to try to feel what it's like to like someone who is off limits because that's how Aiki feels about Keiji in the drama" Kyoko surmised.

"And why would the Keiji character be off-limits?" Kanae asked in return.

"Well, Keiji is rich and Aiki is not. He's well educated, while she's a nobody. She thinks that he will never look her way because she's too plain and boring and uninteresting. So she keeps her feelings to herself but the feeling just keeps on growing and growing until it threatens to consume her" Kyoko answered passionately.

"There you go. Then you should just think about that"

"But Moko-san, I don't know how to lo-love someone like that! Isn't that the stupidest thing?" she spat when she said the dreaded "L" word. "She doesn't even know Keiji, and he's probably an arrogant, self-absorbed, lazy, idiotic prick!" Kyoko answered with so much enthusiasm that she stood up noisily and dislodged the heavy table from its designated space.

Immediately, Kanae sensed the dark aura permeating their immediate surroundings.

"Er—Ok, Ok, but don't you think he has some good qualities that's why Aiki liked him in the first place? I mean, look at Tsuruga-san – he's like the dream guy of almost all women in Japan but he fell for a high school girl – there must be something special about that girl right?" Kanae blubbered, trying to calm the other girl down.

Kyoko sighed and sat again, her face downcast "The problem is, the Director refused to give us the rest of the script. In the first part of the drama, Keiji is just this mysterious handsome tenant; he barely has any dialogue in the first few chapters. His character's story will be told in the later parts of the drama. We don't even know how the entire story will end"

Kanae had no answers for her friend after that. She's heard about Director Ayane and his genre of filmmaking. True, this role can propel Kyoko's career into immediate advancement and recognition of the truly artistic members of the industry, but if she can't figure out how to portray her character, how can she truly shine and show her potential?

"Mo! Just tell the Director what's troubling you. Maybe he'll hand over the rest of the script. Or ask Tsuruga-san directly"

"NO! I can't do that! If I do, he'll find out that I'm Bo and then he'll know I've been lying to him this whole time!" Kyoko screamed at her.

"Fine! But remember, your filming will start tomorrow, so you should have at least a passable Aiki by then" Kanae answered, annoyed. In truth, she's more annoyed and disappointed with herself that she can't help her bestfriend. How can someone who lacks the emotion of "love" help someone regain that same emotion? She's never truly fallen in love herself, while all Kyoko knew while growing up was rejection. These are the reasons why they are part of LoveMe. She can't help but feel sorry as she looked at her best friend who is currently being consumed by her own dark and deadly thoughts.

* * *

Kyoko is afraid as she trudged towards the meeting room where their casting call will be held. Tsuruga-san might already be there and he would know. Her senpai has this weird ability to detect when she's troubled by something (though her grimace was already enough to warn anyone from approaching her like a flashing sign that says: 'OFF LIMITS: Dangerous Thoughts Currently Being Processed).

No matter how hard she tried, she just can't relate to Aiki. _Then how on earth can I ever create the perfect Aiki the Director wants?_

She started to open the door with her trembling fingers.

"As always you're quite early, Mogami-san"

Kyoko almost jumped out of her pink jumpsuit. "Eeeeeppp"

Ren and Yashiro were standing right behind her the whole time she was mumbling to herself.

"I'm sorry for startling you, Mogami-san" Ren apologized with a short chuckle.

"No, I'm so sorry for being absent-minded and for blocking your way Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san" she recovered, scratching the back of her head and bowing multiple times.

"You seem troubled by something. Care to share?" the tall actor asked cheerily.

"Erm—no- nothing really, just a bit nervous about the meeting today" she lied. She cringed slightly, but the way he asked was just too pleasant for her to feel awkward about it.

"It's just a casting call, and you've attended a few of those, right?"

"Well, it's just a little bit" she answered vaguely "uhm- shall we go in?"

Ren just nodded, hiding his disappointment. He had hoped that what had transpired between them earlier that day would somehow make him closer to her and that she would be more open with her thoughts and feelings. It pains him to realize that he has not gotten any closer at all. Judging by her reaction when he asked her about her predicament, she still fears him somewhat, even when he had actually tried to be pleasant.

The room was already occupied by some other actors who he recognized from some successful TV dramas, one even greeted him, a fellow named Matsuhara Kiyo, a TV actor who is a few years older than he. They were of the same batch in LME, though unlike Ren, the other actor focused his career on television and on his alternative rock band whose albums have had some moderate success.

"Good to see you again, Ren" the actor greeted as they shook hands. Kiyo had lived in the US during his teens and had imbibed some American mannerisms.

"Same here, my friend. It's good too see a familiar face" he answered.

"I've been watching Dark Moon, man, I'd have to congratulate you. My fiance's a big fan of Mio, and practically forced me to watch all the episodes with her. When I told her I knew Ren Tsuruga she begged to be introduced to you. Though I'm damned if I do that" Kiyo answered. He looked sheepishly at the tall actor when he said his last sentence.

"By the way, she asked me if I can get Mio's autograph. I know she's played by a newbie actress but her Mio character is way scary, I'd never seen or worked with anyone like that. Can you perhaps help me with getting her to sign something? I mean, we're getting married in a month's time and I just want to surprise Sakura" he added, looking a bit embarrassed.

Ren smiled knowingly. "That would be no problem, Kiyo. In fact, you won't be needing my help because pretty soon you'll be working with Mio herself – or rather—the actress who plays Mio".

The other actor looked confused.

"She's right over there" Ren pointed at the other side of the conference room, where Kyoko had positioned herself away from the rest of the gathering cast and has once again descended into an obvious pit of despair. If Kiyo were able to see spirits, he would have detected the darkening aura surrounding the young actress which completely contrasts her pink jumpsuit. Also, she has begun attracting the attention of the other people in the room with her continuous mumbling.

"Tha- that's Mio?" Kiyo asked.

Ren smiled in reply. "Her name's Mogami Kyoko, she plays Mio in Dark Moon and Natsu in Box-R and she's also been in a few commercials" he replied trying to control the pride in his voice.

"Wait. Kyoko, you mean the lead female actress for THIS drama?" Kiyo asked looking astounded.

"Yes, you want me to introduce her to you now?" Ren asked.

Right then, Director Ayane entered the room, which effectively woke her up from her dark reverie that she stood up in abrupt attention, startling the other supporting actresses nearest her.

"Good afternoon everyone!", the jolly and fresh-faced director greeted. He is wearing a similar checkered shirt and khaki pants as with their initial meeting with the President.

"Er—I think I'll just wait until Director Ayane introduces her" he answered "I'll talk to you later" then he glanced at Kyoko's direction with a look of disbelief.

Ren understood his skepticism. He has not seen Kyoko in action, after all. As he looked back at his co-star, he smiled a small smile, thinking that she does not need any other form of introduction, as she had been making deep impressions to the people already surrounding her, and he took his seat. Yashiro sat beside him and whispered "She's acting strange again. You think it's about that Fuwa guy again? You think he's bothering her still?" When he felt his charge stiffen, however, he decided to stop further inquiry.

After asking the still bowing Kyoko to take her seat, Director Ayane made the round of introductions. He gave a brief background of the drama, which will be aired in two weeks time, after the final episode of Dark Moon. The people in the room, both actors and production staff alike, remained attentive. They too, have recognized the importance of making this drama successful. After Dark Moon's resounding success, the viewers will definitely be clamoring for more – especially that the cast includes actors of high caliber such as Tsuruga Ren, who had starred in the record-breaking drama, and also Mogami Kyoko – the breakthrough actress who played the scariest human or non-supernatural character in television thus far. In short, the pressure is definitely on. The Director, however, seem unruffled and he had put everyone at ease, making them feel as if this is another one of those light dramas, when in fact, even before its filming, expectations such as it being different and fresh and highly artistic have already been set.

The director then proceeded to introduce his production staff – the assistant director who looked like a college professor with his thick eyeglasses and fondness of knitted cardigans but who is also notorious for giving the most NGs to even seasoned TV actors. He introduced the production team, who was handpicked by Director Ayane himself, after which, he introduced the cast. Most of them will have minor supporting roles: the hotel concierge (to be played by Kiyo), Aiki's friend and colleague, the homeless guy who lives in the train station, the hotel maids, Keiji's father, the train station manager, and another character who will be introduced in the last part of the drama "her name is Eliza Lee, I'm sure you're quite familiar as she is a prominent model and actress. She's originally based here in Tokyo, but she had moved to Taiwan, as her father owns a chain of department stores in that country. She was able to pass the audition for one of the supporting characters who will be introduced later on in the drama" Director Ayane stated.

The director had glanced briefly at the actor sitting on his right, trying to detect a hint of reaction, and he was right on. Though not visibly evident, the stoic young man definitely recognized the name. The character to be played by Ms. Lee was not originally in the script, but Lory had prodded him, nay insisted, that another character is essential to make the story more interesting and Ayane reluctantly agreed. The eccentric president was also the one who had introduced him to Ms. Lee's agent who had expressed the desire of the model to take part in the production as her effort to extend her career into acting. She did a passable job and she's absolutely stunning, so he accepted her after the second round of auditions.

"Ms. Lee won't be joining us until after 2 weeks as she already has a prior commitment, a photo shoot in New Zealand. As for her role, you will all have to wait until after I have determined that the time is right to let you in on the climax and resolution of the story" he explained. He winked at the last remark, which elicited a few chuckles and a round of "awwss".

Aside from Kyoko, who is still brooding about her current predicament to care too much, there was only one other person not humored by the Director's antic. He racked his brain, trying to remember if anyone inside the room knew about his former connection with Eliza Lee. He does not have many friends and most of the actors just introduced to him were just passing acquaintances. He had kept his personal life as privately as possible. Even Yashiro is not privy to such information. He felt bad, alarmed, though for whatever reason he knows not. He and Eliza had not talked for more than two years. He hoped that the two of them being in the same project is just a mere coincidence.

"And now, for our lead roles, of course you know Tsuruga Ren from the soon to be concluded drama Dark Moon" Ayane motioned and Ren stood up to bow to his co-actors, making the men in the room acknowledge him simple nods and the women to swoon or almost lose their consciousness.

"I look forward to working with everyone" he said and took his seat.

"and our other main star, who is a newcomer in television but has already made quite a few waves, also from Dark Moon and who you probably know as Mio, Mogami Kyoko" Ayane said as he gazed fondly at the young actress.

Kyoko immediately stood up and bowed, bending down to her waist "Please call me Kyoko, and I am honored to be working with you on this project. Please take care of me!"

Almost everyone chuckled at her obvious but endearing awkwardness. Most of them cannot believe that such a young and almost naïve-looking teen plays a main antagonist with such realism. Others, though, still need some convincing as to her being cast as the lead female actress for their new drama.

After Kyoko had taken her seat, Director Ayane asked his assistant to announce the week's filming schedule, the first of which will be on the following morning at 6 AM.

"Now our first filming will not involve a lot of dialogue or character encounters. Director Ayane's vision for the first episode is to introduce the other characters in Aiki's point of view – and since she works in two different locations and walks a lot, the scenes will involve a lot of movement and location changes" he explained. "I would require, of course, Kyoko-chan and our train station cast to be there at our designated call time tomorrow. The first filming batch will be done by lunch time and we'll resume filming for the next batch at around 4 PM for the sunset scenes. We will require the rest, however, to report as early 1 PM to convene and practice your dialogues" he added. Both Director and Assistant Director expect that there will be some difficulty in actual execution of the scenes to meet the entire vision of the drama. Most TV dramas are highly overrated; the dialogues seem unnatural and overly dramatic. And as the entire cast has never worked with Director Ayane before, they will have to have a sort of crash course for his unique approach and his all-too different expectations.

Kyoko started fidgeting in her seat, which Ren definitely noticed. His suspicion is somewhat confirmed – her problem is about her new character, Aiki. He wanted to be near her to comfort and reassure her but this would have to wait until the end of the meeting.

"Does anyone have any more concerns?" the Assistant Director asked.

When no one answered, he concluded "Well, if there are no more questions, then we are done for today. We'll see each other tomorrow" and bowed.

Everyone immediately started filing out and Ren made a sudden beeline to where his kohai is sitting. Yashiro almost interrupted him, but when he saw who he was going to talk to, the ever loyal and ultimate Ren x Kyoko fan immediately restrained himself and looked towards the young woman and his charge with a pleased expression on his face. On the other side of the room, his charge however, will soon be experiencing being shot down once again.

"Mogami-san, have you had lunch. I'm afraid I skipped mine, so I was thinking of inviting you for a late lunch?" Ren asked, risking his life in the mere mention of 'skipped lunch' and 'late lunch' in one statement. However, the scolding he expected never came. Instead, she just smiled wanly at him.

"I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san, but I need to speak with Director Ayane about something" she apologized "but please have lunch OK? You have to take care of yourself more." Sensing that the Director has finally finished his conversation with his assistant, she bowed to him hastily and almost ran to the man. Now he is definitely worried.

"What was that about? Kyoko-chan's been acting strange since earlier, did she tell you what's wrong?" Yashiro inquired as his young charge walked past him.

The young actor remained stoic, but Yashiro can feel underneath the composed façade a simmering anger. "She needed to talk to Director Ayane. We should go" he replied curtly.

They were already walking down the hallway, halfway to the elevators when Ren stopped. "You should go ahead, Yashiro-san. I'll meet you at L.A. Hearts. Why don't you order a salad or something, my treat" he suddenly stated.

Yashiro was about to form a reply but Ren had already turned around to return the way they had come. _Everyone's acting really strange today. And they're not letting me in on what's happening._ He almost couldn't stand the frustration. He just sighed and decided to let Ren be for a while. He realized that maybe he's becoming too pushy, especially with regard to his relationship with Kyoko-chan. He trudged towards the elevators, thinking that Ren should really make a move soon or he'll really go mad.

Down the hallway, the door to the conference room that they have just vacated was left slightly ajar, so that the distressed actor was able to hear the rest of the conversation between his kohai and Director Ayane. When he hazarded a peek, he saw the object of his affections in one of her favorite positions.

* * *

"I apologize sincerely, Director" she cried in her dogeza. She was planning on 'consulting' the man, but in her panic she did what she always do in such situations, she apologized to the extreme. "I know I promised to create the 'perfect Aiki' for you but until know I have not found her and I really, really need your guidance".

Director Ayane smiled, shaking his head. "Please stand up, Kyoko-chan so we can talk properly".

She stood up but still cannot look at him directly.

"I understand your difficulty. After all, you're only 17 and I suppose have not experienced a lot of the things that your character has experienced" he said kindly "but I have also seen the power of your characters, they are alive and they are exceptional. There are very few actresses who can boast of the same ability. That and President Takarada's confidence in your ability made me believe that you'll find the 'Aiki' that I am expecting. And I still do" he added, looking at her fondly.

Kyoko, however, remained looking doubtful, her face a mask of emotions, shifting from disappointment to fear to confusion that the forced smile on her lips cannot conceal.

"Would it help if I tell you the inspiration behind Aiki's character?" he asked.

Kyoko visibly perked up and nodded vigorously.

"Have you seen the movie or the play _Les Miserables_?"

Kyoko thought hard. She may have heard about it, it sounded foreign. She'd watched a few foreign films but she's pretty sure she had never encountered the title before.

"No, I'm afraid I haven't" she answered truthfully.

"Then I suggest that you find time to see it. It was based on the novel of a Frech novelist named Victor Hugo in the late 1900's. It's about the life of an ex-convict during the June Rebellion* in France. It was originally translated into a musical play then to several movie adaptations. You can watch either. Aiki was derived from a supporting character in this story, her name is Eponine".

Kyoko suddenly cheered up. Finally, an answer to her predicament – a direct reference to Aiki's thoughts and feelings; it didn't matter that she has no idea where to get a copy of the said film / play. She just knows that she will do whatever to get her hands on it.

"Do you think knowing Eponine will help me find my Aiki?" she asked, hope suddenly brimming from her countenance.

The director smiled. "If you are as good as I think you are, then YES" he answered.

She bowed again in gratitude. "Thank you Director!"

They said their goodbyes, with Kyoko voicing effusive words of thankfulness. As she walked towards the LoveMe office, she began brainstorming where she might possibly find a copy of the film the Director recommended and who she should ask for guidance on the said matter. Then, she saw a familiar tall figure beside the door, leaning on the wall with an expression on his face and her grudges were suddenly awakened one by one.

* * *

End of Chapter

* * *

**Notes:**

Hope everyone had happy holidays as I did. Sleep deprivation and worsening nausea had produced 3 Chapters of this fanfic and a new character out of the blue. I'm glad that I have the next two days off to proofread everything and write a few more chapters. Hooray!

*The June Rebellion (1832) in France was an unsuccessful uprising of Parisian students against the French monarchy. It's the background for the novel _Les Miserables_ by Victor Hugo.

And YES! I love musicals (I dreamed of becoming a broadway actress, actually I still do but only in my wildest fantasies) and Eponine is one of my most favorite characters (I usually like the characters who die at the end of the story) and she has been a constant source of inspiration in many of the narratives I write; her and some other similar characters. I can sort of relate to her (imagine her singing 'On My Own" and walking along a dark alley – that's basically how I see myself at times; sort of a classical emo character).

To LFU-san, thank you for your advice. I'll try my best to make this story interesting. I wish you luck in your current writing projects. I hope you never get tired of writing your awesome stories.

As per usual, Reviews / Comments are very much welcome.

**P.S.** Last night I was able to enjoy a meal with my bestfriend in an authentic Japanese restaurant. We ate oyakodon (chicken+egg donburi) with miso soup, onigiri filled with salmon flakes, and kake udon. Then we topped it off with an extremely western dessert in another restaurant – ice cream topped crepe, with mangoes in his and apple with cinnamon in mine, while we talked about our favorite _House _episodes, the _Odd series of Dean Koontz_, _the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins_, and his awesome encounter with _Ms. Jessica Zafra _(way cool!). So I dedicate this chapter to him (though he's not into fanfiction, really, just food – all kinds of them). 


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: REALITY BITES  
**

**Chapter 8:** A Dinner and A Movie

**Disclaimer:** I don't own SKIP BEAT! Also, I do not own Les Miserables – the book or the play.

**Setting:** After the Cain & Setsu Heel arc and filming of Dark Moon

**Note:** I suppose almost everyone reading or following this fanfiction is updated with the manga as well. If we consider the timeline, the Cain/Setsu Heel assignment is right after the Valentine Arc. If we follow this, Cain/Setsu Heel arc will be around March to April. Ren's vacation in America (in this story) is on the month of May. Ren returns to Japan start of June and finishes filming Dark Moon and BJ's movie. Therefore Ren & Kyoko's new drama will start filming mid-June. I'm specifying the timeline because this will be quite important as the story progresses. Hope these make sense. Please let me know if they don't because the actual manga doesn't really mention specific timelines or seasons aside from special occasions such as Ren's birthday, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Kyoko's birthday, etc.

To everyone who read, reviewed, and even recommended this story to other readers, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I don't really think I'm much of a writer, but your positive responses give me courage to keep writing. I hope you continue reading because the story's just starting. 

* * *

Grudges tamed and fully chastised, Kyoko sat at the passenger's seat of Ren's car. She had apologized, had scolded herself from brushing him and his invitation aside earlier that day, and now she is paying for her inappropriate behavior. But she had no other choice. After all, she made her senpai skip lunch (the fact that he had already skipped his lunch when he invited her had been completely pushed aside from her mind that is oftentimes filled with twisted logic) and she had lied to him yet again about her troubles.

Ren knew it was wrong to play on his kohai's extremely vulnerable conscience, but it's the only way he can be assured that she will spend the night with him. It was an act of desperation, though he tried to tell himself that he can actually help her, literally. At least it made his manager overly joyous when the man found out. He even happily skipped out of Ren's car when the actor dropped him off near his apartment, but not before giving him an ardent reminder: "You have to make sure not to give her one of those looks again. You know how she feels about those", which Ren correctly guessed as referring to his Kuon (a.k.a. Demon Lord) look. He had 'demanded' to pick-up Kyoko at LME at 8 PM after his appearance in a late afternoon talk show as she will be finishing her Love Me tasks for the day around the same time. Looking at her now, he realized that even without 'that look' he cannot help but scare her at times, for she had remained completely silent and stiff since they left the LME parking lot.

"Please relax a bit Mogami-san" Ren implored.

Kyoko twitched in her seat. Then she finally got the courage to say:

"I'm really sorry, Tsuruga-san! I made you skip lunch and I completely ignored you when you actually bothered to ask for my well-being!" she exclaimed. She had been waiting to expel those words, as if she would die if there's one minute she did not apologize.

Ren sighed. "Firstly, I skipped lunch. You had nothing to do with it. Secondly, you have every right not to share your personal concerns with me" he said without looking at her and felt a twinge of sadness with the fact he just stated; "though I would be very happy to hear about your troubles so I can at least help you in some way". Then he looked at her meaningfully. Her face carried the look of apprehension, but she did not try to shy away.

"I don't have any right to burden you with my problems. Tsuruga-san has already done so much for me" she cried, though she admits to herself it felt good to hear those words from him, knowing that he is at least a bit concerned; though she wished that this concern was more than because he is such a gentleman and a good senpai and that her hopelessness appealed to his good nature.

"You have done much for me as well. You even agreed to cook me dinner tonight. The least I can do is to listen. I thought this is just appropriate after what we have been through as Cain and Setsu" he countered. There, he just said it. He has no idea what she is really feeling now about the whole affair, after completely letting go of her character. But then he risked looking at her face to gauge her reaction and was completely caught off-guard.

She had put on a look of such tenderness that he can't help but want to hold her to him right then and there. He was brought back to reality, however, by a blaring car horn and a shriek.

They almost collided with the oncoming traffic; the usually safe driver Tsuruga Ren had veered off his lane and barely avoided a close collision with a family van.

"Are you alright Tsuruga-san? I thought we were totally going to die!" Kyoko shrieked.

"I'm sorry Mogami-san. I just lost.. erm.. concentration" he apologized sheepishly as he directed his car onto the right lane once again.

"That's what happens when you skip meals!" she exclaimed, her initial fear of him already forgotten.

Ren sighed with relief. He'd rather be with the 'Mother Hen' Kyoko rather than the troubled and trembling one.

"I did eat a sandwich on set earlier and some chips too"

"That's not a proper meal" she answered in a condescending tone.

"Then we better get home quickly so you can prepare me a proper meal" he answered and completely disarmed her with his radiant smile. It was then her turn to lose concentration.

As his passenger tried hard to regain her composure, Ren thought about his deliberate use of the word 'home' and how she did not try to correct him. He truly wished that both of them would refer to his apartment as their 'home' in the future. This made him feel all warm inside.

Then, he thought, he's just completely and utterly hopeless.

After loading Ren's trunk with enough food to stock his cupboards for a month, they finally left the grocery store. Kyoko had insisted that they find another store that offer less expensive-priced merchandise (because in such stores nothing is ever cheap) but Ren won by reasoning that the faster they finish shopping, the faster she'd be able to cook and feed him. Add to those a few dashes of his disarming smiles and the poor kohai was finally completely won over.

Kyoko was determined to cook the most sumptuous meal for her senpai. He's not a big eater, but after missing lunch and spending a busy afternoon, she expected him to have a bit of an appetite. Within a minute of their arrival to Ren's apartment, she immediately took charge of his barely used kitchen.

Said senpai opted not to disturb her and just remained gazing at her busy form fondly from the hallway. He knew in his lifetime, whatever happens between them in the future, he will cherish these kinds of memories the most. And if ever the fates would grant him his most ardent wish: for her to be his forever, he mentally took note that he ought to build her a fully-equipped professional kitchen. Lest his emotions make him do something stupid, he finally left his post and stalked to his living room to find that elusive CD he knew he'd placed in one of his drawers somewhere.

After 30 minutes, chef Kyoko had successfully prepared a simple meal composed of miso soup, grilled fish and chicken donburi. As per usual, Ren had set the table in his living room. After they had settled on their customary places and said their "Thanks for the Meal", he decided to open the conversation with the subject matter he'd been preparing for ever since he'd heard of her troubles from her conversation with Director Ayane.

"Mogami-san, I know for a fact that there is something bothering you" he opened.

Immediately the atmosphere inside the room became frighteningly chilly.

But Ren did not relent. "I heard your conversation with Director Ayane earlier" he stated.

Kyoko remained silent, but the temperature did not drop further. Ren waited her out and was rewarded by her soft response "I feel really bad for being a burden to everyone", she said with a sigh.

Ren smiled despite himself. At least now he'll have a chance to be the good senpai that she always said he is.

"You know that it happens – sometimes it becomes hard for an actor to find his or her character". He took a mouthful of warm soft rice to make the statement seem more casual. The rice tasted good, the texture of the grains soft and fluffy and he took another one as he felt the now un-dormant hunger pangs.

Kyoko looked at him with wide eyes. She'd never think that such a thing would happen with her senpai. But being Bo, and spending time with him in the past week, she somehow finally accepted that he is more or less human, like her, and can make blunders, though very rarely.

"Remember when I created Katsuki?" he asked in between bites.

Kyoko blushed. _How could she not? Wasn't it in this very apartment that he created that famous character with her as his witness?_ But what first came to her mind was the meeting with the Emperor of the Night, above all else. She wondered and shivered with the memory and could only manage a quick nod in response to his question.

"And with that, if you don't mind, why don't we watch this after dinner?" he added, handing her a box.

She took it from him out of curiosity and read the printed label: 'Les Miserables: 10th Year Anniversary Special' and her eyes sparkled with wonder.

"My mo—somebody sent it to me years ago. That person liked to watch plays in broadway" he explained, remembering his younger years when his mother used to sing and dance after seeing a performance that she liked. She can act all right, but she can't sing a proper note if it killed her. When he was old enough to understand and appreciate such performances, he was too far gone and lost from his parents. His mother even stopped watching live broadway shows. He remembered receiving a package, right after he had settled in Japan, a video CD of one of her favorite musicals, with a note that tells him she missed him so and wished they could watch the play when he finally returns home.

Kyoko listened to his story while holding the CD case reverently.

"I've seen it only once, but I can still remember the story somewhat. Eponine is one of the more interesting characters" he explained.

"I don't know if you have a video CD or DVD player at your house, but you can watch it here if you want" he offered, looking at her face. He almost chuckled at the sight of her lost in her wonderful personal lala-land.

She nodded enthusiastically in response. The fact the he actually eavesdropped in her private conversation had actually gotten past her relieved him. He was so relieved in fact, that he was able to finish a heaping bowl of rice before he realized it.

* * *

Kyoko sometimes can't help but think that her senpai can do magic. Once again she found herself comparing him to her Fairy Prince Corn. Well, to any casual observer who has tendencies to drift off to certain fantasies, they would seem related anyway- both of them are handsome and gentlemanly, both of them are graceful and prince-like, and most significantly, both of them make her feel like everything is right with the world. Like at that instant he somehow magically conjured the answer to her most pressing problem. He's truly magical. No wonder she and Maria are both drawn to him. More importantly, if this story will really help her find her character, as Director Ayane has said, then she wouldn't need to ask him questions about that girl that he likes in secret and won't risk revealing Bo's identity behind the chicken costume.

She had prepared them both some tea as he set up the television. She listened with rapt attention as he gave a brief background of the story.

"As Director Ayane told you, the play was based on a novel by a French guy. I remember reading it when I was in middle school. But that would take time and you don't have that luxury."

She nodded in assent.

"It will be a bit hard to understand the actual story by just watching the play, especially that this version won't include some of the scenes in the original stage musical. But see the background" he pointed at the screen, wherein a camera view of a big stage is being shown along with a grandiose opening music "the narration for some parts of the story will be projected there, so you can follow the plot well enough" he added.

She's glad she's gotten pretty good with her English. She had been quite fluent with the language when she played Kuon and since then she had tried really hard to learn as much as she can. English even became one of her best subjects in school. She had to learn if she wished to star opposite her Otou-san in the future.

She watched the opening as the characters sang their lines instead of just saying them, while Ren watched her face and her different expressions: confusion, recognition, a scowl here and there, sometimes even a small smile when it was time for the Thernadiers to sing their part. Her expression cannot really be accurately described without actual demonstration. It was almost halfway through the production when Eponine was introduced. She was the person who brought Marius and Cosette together. She wore ragged clothes and a dirty but fair face.

It wasn't until the orchestra played her infamous solo song that Kyoko realized why Director Ayane said that Eponine is the inspiration for Aiki's character.

The rest of her scenes, she was like a boy: she fought, she screamed, she brushed her nose with her thumb, and she acted without a care in the world. But when she walked that alley all alone and she sang for her unreachable love, she was revealed for who she truly was: weak, broken, defeated by life, miserable, and lonely.

Kyoko was clutching the armrest of Ren's couch with all her strength. She ached for this lonely girl. She didn't know why, but she did. When her song ended, a single tear grazed her soft cheek and she shook her head violently.

"Are you all right Mogami-san?" her companion asked. For a while there she had almost completely forgotten about him.

"Hmm… I'm fine Tsuruga-san" she said and returned her attention to the screen. She answered with so much sadness that Ren wanted to embrace her. But he refrained from doing so. Not until the final credits rolled did he try to strike up another conversation. But Kyoko beat him to it.

"Umm.. Tsuruga-san, where can I get a copy of that song? The one that Eponine sang when she was alone?"

* * *

It was already past eleven when they finished watching the video, but they agreed that it's more proper that she return to the Darumaya, considering her early call time the next morning. Ren had lent her his mp3 player, the one he always carried around. They had successfully recorded and saved Eponine's song and since leaving his apartment, Kyoko had been playing it repeatedly, listening and truly absorbed as if the words and the music hold the key to the world's problems. Being an actor and an artist himself, he understood that sometimes inspiration can come in different and unexpected forms. He can't help but wonder what tomorrow will bring, what kind of character she will able to summon up this time.

"Thank you for all your help, Tsuruga-san" she said with a bow after she left the car.

"It's the least I could do for troubling you with my dinner" he answered.

She smiled back at him. "Dinner is also important and I'm willing to make you dinner any time!" she exclaimed rather loudly "uhm, well, that is if it's not too much trouble".

Ren smiled widely "I love to have you over for dinner. You can cook for me and I can spoil you a bit". She gave him that tender look again, unguarded and blunt which made him all warm inside. He was glad she said that while he was parked and not while driving where he could have collided with any thing.

"Cooking for you makes me happy" she answered.

Ren held his breath, waiting for 'nii-san' at the end of her statement but it never came. She just stood there with a creeping blush on her adorable face.

"You know what would truly make me happy?" he asked somberly, which made her pay attention.

"I'd be really glad if you call me Ren, without any honorifics and that you would let me call you Kyoko"

She almost started to protest, but he immediately shot her down.

"Please think about it, Mogami-san. We've known each other long enough to forego with formalities" he said as he started his engine.

"Goodnight Mogami-san, promise me you'll think about it?"

She just nodded and finally waved goodbye.

He didn't leave until she had closed the front door of the restaurant.

She didn't know which bothered her more: creating the perfect Aiki or calling her senpai by his given name. What he said was true, they had known each other for some time now, more than a whole year. They started out as almost mortal enemies, him being the bully, and she the disgruntled sort of prey. Yet, they ended up being mentor and student. She dare not use the term friends. She'd rather think Bo as his friend rather than Kyoko. True, they had shared more than what usual friends have, they have even shared a room, a bed. But those were within the bounds of work. Calling him by his given name implies that they had somewhat passed that level of professional friendship and has gotten closer personally, which made her nervous but also curious and excited at the same time. She tossed and turned, until finally, she resolved to let the matter rest as she turned on his player and again listened to the song that so captured her.

Without distractions, she digested every word, and with the pure and soulful voice of the singer who played Eponine, she cried silently – for innocence that can never be regained, for helplessness that cannot be cured, for love unrequited. She did not know why she felt so deeply for her, but something inside her ached with every word.

_And now I'm all alone again nowhere to turn, no one to go to  
without a home, without a friend, without a face to say hello to  
And now the night is near  
Now I can make believe he's here_

Sometimes I walk alone at night  
When everybody else is sleeping  
I think of him and then I'm happy  
With the company I'm keeping  
The city goes to bed  
And I can live inside my head

On my own  
Pretending he's beside me  
All alone  
I walk with him till morning  
Without him  
I feel his arms around me  
And when I lose my way I close my eyes  
And he has found me

In the rain the pavement shines like silver  
All the lights are misty in the river  
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight  
And all I see is him and me forever and forever

And I know it's only in my mind  
That I'm talking to myself and not to him  
And although I know that he is blind  
Still I say, there's a way for us

I love him  
But when the night is over  
He is gone  
The river's just a river  
Without him  
The world around me changes  
The trees are bare and everywhere  
The streets are full of strangers

I love him  
But every day I'm learning  
All my life  
I've only been pretending  
Without me  
His world would go on turning  
A world that's full of happiness  
That I have never known

I love him  
I love him  
I love him  
But only on my own

She still does not think highly of love. She still does not believe it. That night, she cried silently until she fell asleep. 

* * *

On the other side of town, a young man is suffering from another bout with sleeplessness. He could not believe his courage; he had finally asked her to call him by his given name. It's a very simple thing, really, nothing much to it, but he had put it off until now, because he's not dealing with just someone, but with Kyoko, who seem to find the most outrageous logic and meaning behind the simplest matters. Lately, he also realized that she had been showing different reactions to his usual romantic overtures. When before, everything seemed to slide by her without her noticing, now she would blush at some remarks and would look at him with unguarded sort of affection that is most tempting. But he wouldn't dare exploit this discovery, not when he could easily and surely drive her away and hurt her.

Every night, since he came back to Japan, he replayed the same thing over and over again in his head; doubting, rejoicing, being afraid, being freed, planning the future, honoring the past. He felt that somehow not all is lost and that everything that ever happened thus far happened with a reason, following some grand design that he still cannot fully comprehend but is grateful for either way.

_The gravel crunched underneath his boot-clad feet as he walked towards the quaint cottage surrounded by overgrown bushes._

_He checked the address written on the piece of paper in his hand once again. He really didn't need to, but out of nervousness, he just did. _

_Finally, he reached the front porch. He knocked on the door. It was a clear, sunny day – so unlike that night when he'd lost himself, when he thought he'd died and was covered with blood._

_The door opened, a young woman looked up at him with a small smile upon her lips. Her face registered uncertainty at first, but then recognition came. Not much had changed with her, he thought, though her face had become more mature, her body shapelier, covered by a knee-length sundress made of soft fabric that flowed with the breeze. She tied her hair behind her head, unlike before when she wore it long and untamed around her face. Gone were the days of wearing too much leather and too much lace. She looked more beautiful now, fresh and content. Rick would have loved her even more._

_Unexpectedly, she came to him and threw her arms around upon his shoulders. _

"_I've been wanting to see you. I'm glad you came, Kuon"_

_She invited him inside her home; it was small but cozy in that homey sort of way. They sat on the living room, beside a crib wherein a sleeping infant boy lay._

_She caught him looking at the child. "His name is Richard" he said softly and sat across him._

"_My husband, Charlie.. he knows everything. He was a friend of the family. He always followed me around when we were kids. He was the smartest kid in school. I never much liked studying so we didn't really get along" she started stroking the boy's hair._

"_It wasn't until after—after I got into rehab that I found out he's been in love with me all those years. He was the one who gave me courage to face the world again, my beacon of hope"_

_She looked at the distance as she spoke. Still, he felt as if she was speaking to him directly._

"_He visited me every day until I got better. The day I got out, he asked permission from my parents, to take me… to Rick's grave"_

_Then she looked at him directly, finally._

"_I'm sorry about the things I said to you, that night" she said, her voice and her face pleading. "In a way, I was also blaming myself. I was part of it all. I was there when you boys lost control, I was there to even cheer you on. I was wretched like everybody else. We were all at fault. Even Rick himself" _

_He was startled to hear those words from her. He came here to beg for forgiveness, to find a way to make his past wrong into right, and here she is, giving him absolution. He found it hard to believe, because it was not supposed to be this easy, it was never this easy._

_Somehow she sensed his hesitation. She grabbed his hands in hers fiercely until he was forced to stare into her deep blue eyes._

"_Rick would not have wanted us to stop living. You remember him, right? I remember him every day. I think about him – what if he stayed alive? What if he became the father of my child? He was so full of life. He devoured life. He never would have wanted us to give up on it. I know it in my heart" _

"_I heard what happened to you after I got out of rehab. Charlie kept close tabs on everyone of us who was involved that night. Alfred, he.. he killed himself a few months after. Then I heard you had left and I never got to apologize. Matt would come and visit every now and then, he's my son's godfather. He's doing well, designing those robots and toys that he and Rick loved" she said, fondly._

_Her grip softened and she looked back at the child beside her._

"_And I am happy. I have a family- a husband who loves me, a healthy baby boy"_

"_Charlie insisted that we name our son after Rick—he said Rick was my first love so he should be given that honor. He's a kind man. I could never have asked for anyone else" she said, tears finally flowing for the love she had lost._

_He still could not find the words. He was glad he didn't have to say anything, not even a simple 'I'm sorry'. But somehow, he felt he can never be THIS alive. Maybe he had been so used to feeling miserable and at fault that he doesn't know how to feel anything else. He's been empty for so long he thinks he can remain that way forever._

"_Are you with someone right now?" she asked._

_He looked back at her, confused._

"_Do you have someone special? A wife? A girlfriend?"_

_He nodded after a few seconds. "There is someone, though I don't know if we will ever be like that …"_

"_But you love her?" she asked, impatient._

_He just nodded. Suddenly, the whole scene turned out to be a like a Sunday morning brunch between girlfriends, sharing gossip with each other about their romantic lives. He wanted to laugh in frustration._

"_Love her completely and never ever let her go" she added firmly, her eyes fixed on his. In an instant she was that person again, the girl who rode motorcycles and laughed with the boys, the fierce and independent young woman who always got her way._

"_She will be your redemption. Live your life by making her happy every minute and every second. That is how we can repay him, how we can repay Rick. We have to live our lives the best we can and be happy with the people we cherish and love. I know Rick would have wanted that for you. He brought me and Charlie together. He is alive in me, so keep him alive in you, Kuon"_

_He left her cottage feeling like everything was so surreal. It wasn't until he had driven away a few kilometers that he stopped. He got out of the car, feeling suffocated, he leaned on the trunk of a tree conveniently planted on the side of the road. He felt his pendant, the one he always wore, the one that was Rick's before he died. He looked up at the sunlight piercing through in between the branches and the leaves. How can she know that he needed to hear those words? How can she know that he had been dead to the world for the past 6 years? How can those words, mere words, be enough to free him from his darkness? But they did, for the first time in years, he felt alive, as if every breath is a wondrous new feeling. And he thought about the golden-eyed girl waiting for him, that caring girl who managed to reach into his very soul._

'_She will be your redemption. Live your life by making her happy..' These words echoed inside his head. And he knew what he needed to do. _

* * *

End of Chapter 

* * *

I know, I know, sappy ending. I was looking for a filler to lengthen the chapter somewhat and thought it best to insert what had happened when Ren finally battled his demons. It wasn't the gory and violent thing that most probably expected, but I was surprised to finish writing the whole 'reunion between Kuon & Rick's girlfriend' in less than 30 minutes. So I guess, that's it. Sorry for the late update. I was busy not sleeping through the endless family reunions and choir activities.

I'd like to take this opportunity to ask for advice. I'm seriously considering a career change. I don't know if the alternative would work out, but I hate being the normal 9 to 5 employee. I feel so constricted. So: a regular & stable 9 to 5 job OR a career as singer/musician/writer? Which should I choose? Haha.. I'm hopeless..

Next Chapter: Aiki is Born! YAY! (Chapter's already finished; needs only a bit of editing, etc)

Also, I included the lyrics of the song 'On My Own' from Les Miserables in this chapter- music & words from Monsieur Alain Boubil & Herr Claude Michel Schoenberg. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: REALITY BITES  
**

**Chapter 9:** Birth of a Lonely Soul

**Disclaimer:** I don't own SKIP BEAT! Also, I do not own Les Miserables – the book or the play.

**Setting:** After the Cain & Setsu Heel arc and filming of Dark Moon

**Note:** I am truly amazed by your positive reviews. I hope to not disappoint you in some way. As promised, we will now get a glimpse of Kyoko's new character: Aiki. 

* * *

Kyoko was already up by 4 AM. Her feelings were divided into being troubled and into being excited. She is excited to find her new character, to finally arrive at an epiphany of sorts. Aiki has never physically appeared thus far, due to the time constraint, but the young actress can feel her new alter ego trying to break free. A feeling of exhilaration wants to overcome her. She is troubled, however, by her senpai's irrational request (given the way she thinks, she should be pardoned for believing that some entirely rational things are irrational). She can never call him by his first name; never. She is not worthy. Though she has to admit that she was slightly pleased that he would offer such a thing and in such an endearing manner. She does feel closer to him, but she also can't help but shy away because somehow, to her, too much familiarity is dangerous. The word 'dangerous' just kept flashing through her mind whenever she feels and acts too familiar with him, especially with him. This is not so with anyone else; not with Moko-san or Maria or Amamiya-san, which troubled her more.

But all the caution, the warnings, the barricades around her confused heart vanished into thin air when she spotted the familiar vehicle right outside the door of Darumaya. She was on her way out to her morning shoot and dawn is yet to break but he's already there, waiting.

The side window rolled down as she approached.

"Good morning, Kyoko" he greeted.

"Tsu- ru- ga- saaaan, how long have you been here?" she asked wide-eyed.

"I haven't been here that long, maybe 5 minutes. I was hoping to catch you. I guess I was just right on time. Hop in" he answered with his gentlemanly manner. But Kyoko shook her head.

"But- but you don't need to come to the shoot until much later…"

"Don't worry about it. I don't have an appointment this morning" he replied smoothly, getting out from the driver's side and opening the passenger side door. She had no choice but to go inside. She couldn't make him wait like that.

"Besides, I want to be one of the first to see your 'Aiki'" he reasoned as he maneuvered the car onto the right lane.

Kyoko belted herself in and wished to all the gods that he would not ask him about her decision regarding his request the night before. It was odd that she would be thinking about this of all things. Somehow he had decided to call her by her first name, which is just fine, but she knew she can never have the guts to reciprocate.

The ride to the shoot location was uneventful. Both remained silent, though not uncomfortable. They arrived relatively safe and intact, with Ren being mindful of looking at his passenger too closely or frequently, so as to avoid any other dangerous and highly embarrassing occurrences.

Like many production set on outside locations, the actors were provided with trailers where they can get into costume, rest or freshen up. The setting for today is a building beside the subway station. Being the lead-star of the drama, Kyoko was assigned her personal make-up artist and her very own trailer. This made her stutter while expressing her gratitude to the chuckling director. Director Ayane was careful to note the apparent improvement in his leading actress' demeanor and was pleased. What he did not expect was his lead actor to arrive with her. Though the said actor provided a well-versed and highly plausible explanation as to his presence that early morning, Ayane was not fooled. And all the time while the said actor provided his reason, the director sported a knowing smile. _Attachment is good; attachment will do well to create my perfect lead characters. You were right, Lory, there's something between these two I have to look closer into.  
_

Twenty minutes after she disappeared with her make-up artist, Kyoko finally returned to the now prepared set. Ayane knew it was Kyoko, but it wasn't. _This_, he thought, _is what I have been waiting for.  
_

The young woman wore a pale blue blouse with a plain dark blue skirt reaching just below her knees. On her feet were dull black cheap leather shoes with 1-inch high heels. Her hair was black, long bangs covered her eyebrows, parted semi-halfway her forehead. Her eyes were honey-colored, much like the ones the cheerful actress who portrayed her has. But right now there is neither light nor fire within them. She is beautiful underneath the plainness, but her beauty has that sort of wounded quality. She looked to be in her early or mid-20's but her whole demeanor was like that of a middle-aged woman; her eyes looked tired, her face washed out, even her posture seemed to say: 'this person has lost to the world'. She smiled as she greeted the Director, but even that was much much paler in comparison to Kyoko's cheerful greeting earlier.

The actors already on set as well as the technical people milling around immediately recognized the difference. It wasn't much because of the appearance that was drastically changed, it wasn't after all as astounding as her transformation into Mio or into Natsu, but even then, the effect was great and palpable. They remained silent, scrutinizing her, and beside themselves, being somewhat awed.

"I'm ready, Director Ayane, please take care of me" she bowed imperfectly, her shoulders hunched. Kyoko has so far gone.

Director Ayane signaled his crew and immediately the cameramen took their rightful places.

"I will need you to walk along this sidewalk here until you reach that building" he pointed to another building farther away from the subway station. "Just walk straight, keep in character. We will focus on your feet then slowly upwards until we reach the back of your head. Afterwards, we will move to focusing a bit of your face as you look up at the morning sky. Got it?"

She nodded.

He signaled again to the cameramen who were already in position. "Ready, start rolling, and ACTION!"

Ren was not surprised to see someone else standing there. Kyoko was, as expected, brilliant and surprising. As he watched her following the director's instructions, walking from one point to another, looking up and finally going up the steps of the old hotel, he can't help but feel… cold. This new character did not have Mio's darkness or Natsu's anger. She was.. plainly stating.. nothing. There is no life within her, no fire reflected in her eyes. She looked pale and made her surroundings as pale as her, as cold as her, as devoid of life. It was depressing, even when he kept telling himself that she was just acting, that the person he is seeing is not Kyoko, his Kyoko- the girl who is lively and full of life. He wanted to run to her and shake her into bringing his Kyoko back. He was afraid that the longer the object of his affections immersed into this new role, she would entirely disappear and never come back to him.

When the director finally asked for a break as they prepare to move inside for the hotel scenes, he found himself expelling a breath of relief. He casually strode over to her, to find the make-up artist fussing over her pale face. He wondered then what he should say to her. Praise her? Give her some water, perhaps? But he left the water bottle in his chair. He didn't have any other choice but to face her and smile, a genuine one, unguarded. She smiled wanly back at him.

"You did well, Kyoko" he said softly, putting his hands in the pockets of his trousers to prevent himself from gathering her small form into his arms.

"Thank you Tsuruga-san" she answered just as softly. Then she sighed. "Her thoughts are really depressing, Aiki's thoughts" she stated.

Ren could only smile sadly in return. "I think that is how Director Ayane wants Aiki to be. You were completely in character you didn't get any NGs. He must have taken lots of close-ups focusing on your face, but not once did he call a cut mid-scene" he assured her.

"I guess I finally found her" she replied, though still quite depressed.

Ren nodded. "You did. But be careful. You're scaring me for being too much into your character" he warned. He was not able to overcome the urge to reach out to her and pat her shoulder lightly but still affectionately. He was relieved when she did not flinch or run away. Somehow his warmth was a welcome gesture in the currently confused and lonely world of her new character, which she has not completely shaken off. She even closed her eyes and reveled in his touch. He only refrained from completely embracing her when he heard a voice from the doorway of the building behind her.

"Kyoko-san, we'll start with the scenes in the hotel, please get ready" a production assistant shouted.

Kyoko looked at him shyly and smiled. He nodded and she ran towards the hotel entrance. For the first time, he was glad he accepted this role. She had been his talisman for his Cain. Now he wanted to be the talisman for her Aiki. 

* * *

She was glad her senpai wasn't in the room. Director Ayane was kind enough to ensure that only the cameramen and the other crew were there for this scene. It's the scene where she had to go into the shower. They will not be showing her entire body, just her feet as she went into the shower and then her bathrobe-clad body after she had gotten out of the shower. They asked her to dress into a skintone body wrap: a tube top cut at the midriff and tight shorts reaching mid thigh, underneath her uniform. She will take her uniform off, leaving these body covers and then hop into the shower. She would have to get herself wet to prepare for the next scene wherein she will be shown getting out the bathroom in her robe and frolicking around the bedroom.

She didn't know why Tsuruga-san's presence would bother her. He was there earlier in her first few scenes and she was thankful for the comfort and reprieve he provided. She actually found it hard to let go of Aiki. She's too depressing. But taking her clothes off, though not completely, in front of him would be too embarrassing, she's afraid she'll run out of the room and freak out. That would be disappointing to see. He would surely revert to calling her 'Mogami' or worse, call her 'baka' for being unprofessional.

"Cut! Kyoko-chan, please take them off slowly, remember Aiki is comfortable being here, just let the garments drop one by one at your feet, don't throw them away" Director Ayane called. Kyoko just nodded and was glad the NG was called after she had only taken off her blouse. It would be too embarrassing to take her clothes off over and over again.

"Are you ready?" Director Ayane asked after seeing her completely clothed once again.

"Yes" she said calmly.

"Okay. Start rolling and action!" he commanded.

The next try was perfect. After undressing perfectly, she turned on the shower as instructed until her hair and barely clothed body were wet. Then she donned the off-white old-looking robe provided. As she walked out of the bathroom, the camera focused on her wet feet and her hands, slowly but surely tracing the sides of the different furniture – a chair, a bedside table, the side of the king sized bed, with her fingertips. Then she arrived near a drawer, on top of which were arranged numerous audio CDs, the genres ranging from traditional Japanese music to classical and jazz. She chose a rather old looking CD case. It looked like it was played frequently, a favorite. She inserted the CD into the player attached to an expensive-looking sound system. As the music started to play, she opened one of the closets and caressed the clothes hanging inside.

* * *

By lunch time, the subject on set was the surprising transformation and performance of their lead actress. The other supporting actors came in just as the crew and other drama staffs were having lunch. It all started with a comment from the cameraman about the scene in the bedroom: "While I was watching her my chest felt so tight – I didn't know if I was feeling pity or what and she wasn't even looking at the camera". The light man added from another side of the break area: "Man, I've had my share of depression and lonely days back in college, but I was never like that.. that Aiki character's like a black hole sucking the life out of you". Everyone else who was present on the instance mentioned murmured their concurrence. And so before the lunch break ended, even those who just heard of the story about the enigmatic new character was already aware of the details of the morning's shoot that they cannot wait to meet her. More than ever they wondered what the director wanted to do with Aiki, how her story will end; will she find happiness? Will she kill herself? Or will she just dissolve into nothingness? Indie directors have this image of putting too much realism into their creations, meaning not all stories end up having happy endings – even for the lead characters. They even developed a habit to glance surreptitiously at the girl eating lunch with their tall and handsome lead actor and their Director. She was giggling at a joke someone on their table came up with, so far removed from the gloomy and depressing character she portrays.

They were not aware, however, that it took a great big deal of effort for Ren to cheer his kohai up. She even told him she does not have an appetite but that she would accompany him for lunch. But he forced her to take a bento box and eat, using her usual diatribe about taking care of the body being an actor's responsibility. Though initially, she picked on her food, later on she regained her usual enthusiasm and ate wholeheartedly; especially after Director Ayane joined them in their table. The director, much to Ren's surprise was actually quite the joker. He cracked a few simple jokes which made Kyoko cheerier, she even laughed a few times. And Ren was relieved.

After their meal, they all proceeded inside a conference room provided by the hotel. It was unexpected, but the rest of the cast were already there and waiting for them. Ren had never seen such punctuality. And what's even more surprising is the kind of look they gave to his kohai, who was, as always, oblivious to attention specifically directed at her. She and the director are having quite a good time talking to each other about, of all topics, horror films. He cleared his throat to get the attention of his companions. It was effective, as Director Ayane looked at him and saw that they already have a complete audience. The director glanced sheepishly at him before settling down at the head of the long conference table. Kyoko, on the other hand, gave her signature bow and greeted everyone a good afternoon before sitting on her designated chair.

The Assistant Director settled in between the Director and Ren, giving him a nod. He noticed that Director Ayane can be quite all over the place, rather whimsical, and Assitant Director Ichizawa (as he finally found out the man's name) would definitely know this. Ren understood the man as looked at his kohai. He smiled at the thought. He was glad the Director found a kindred spirit in her and that Kyoko had found someone who can easily relate to and tolerate her fantasy spells.

Ayane cleared his throat and started: "Thank you all for being on-time. As Assitant Director Ichizawa mentioned, today you'll be rehearsing your lines for my evaluation"

Some of the older actors reacted with murmurs on this remark. Clearly the Assistant Director did not mention anything related to an evaluation. Said assistant director sported a small smirk. Actors do seem to develop a careless attitude when they feel like their director is not the strict type. And since most have never worked with Director Ayane before, they have been quite indifferent. They are veterans in TV, after all, while Ayane was not.

"Now don't think of this as an examination. Rather, think about it as another acting workshop where you'll have me and our assistant director as your coaches" Ayane clarified. But instead of being relieved, the other actors were even more scandalized. They looked at each other and back to the director with hostility. He is the newbie in TV drama directing and for them, he ought to be the one asking them pointers. But none of them voiced out their reaction. And if Ayane noticed, he did not let on, because he continued with much fervor.

"I'm not into overly dramatic deliveries. You are not on a drama stage, where every movement will have to emphasized and every emotion will have to be enhanced. As long as you are working on this project, I want you to portray your characters, no matter how small their roles are, as naturally as you can".

Again, the actors inside the room were baffled by this. They wrinkled their brows, wondering what he meant. It did not make sense. The reason why they are actors is because they 'act'. There is nothing natural with acting, it's playing pretend.

(Okay, so maybe this author is presuming that most actors do not have that kind of depth – dramas are like the life of the TV industry in my country and believe me- they are so juvenile you just want to punch a hole through your television set if not only you are waiting for the next UFC season to be aired later that day. I honestly can't stand watching longer than 5 minutes, and the dialogues suck. Back to Ayane…)

"Remember, everyone, you are portraying real people in this project, people you probably see every day when you ride the train or the bus or when you walk down the street. If you don't understand what I mean, go out of your overly sheltered condos and try to observe the world outside", he said with much emotion.

Hirohito Ayane is, most of the time, frustrated with actors. He does not consider himself too different form other directors, it is just that he believes that any work of art – music, a painting, a movie, a TV drama – should be a reflection of the society and the human condition, to which people can relate to on a more personal level. He has nothing against those heavy romantic dramas, tales of family feuds, stories of betrayal and other sordid affairs – those kinds of things do happen in real life – but not to common people. Common people don't go around crying with their make up on. Hobos don't have smooth skin and impeccable speech and intonations. Protagonists don't necessarily have fair complexion and perfect builds and gorgeous bodies. The greater percentage of TV and movie viewership is composed of common folks: housewives, storeowners, salary men, students. And if he is given a chance to reach out to these people through the greatest and most influential medium, then he wants to reach them on the level that they can recognize, feel, and understand completely – a level beyond heavy dialogues or fantastic action scenes.

He started as an actor himself but he was mediocre at best, not like his most recent discoveries: Kyoko and Ren. Maybe it was because he grew up in an extremely normal and happy environment, he had a childhood full of contentment. And this is not the case with these two. He can tell, just by watching them on screen and on set that they have lived lives battered with challenges that had left them wounded, but also made them and the characters they portray contain so much depth. And as an artist, as a greedy exploiter of others' talents, he wanted to capitalize on that. He chose to be a director because this way he can freely enjoy the freedom of working behind the scenes – physical anonymity. He can easily blend in with a crowd, with his normal looks and uninteresting demeanor, and observe different kinds of people in their everyday lives, doing their normal tasks and being no one but who they are. And it has been most rewarding. He is more thrilled of going out and sitting on a bench along a crowded side street or in the middle of a marketplace, watching people rather than sitting on his couch at home and tuning in to a late night drama or a mid-morning talk show. To him, there is more 'drama' in real life than in make believe. And this drama is the kind that is worth watching. It has become his mission to bring this drama on screen. Despite the mockery he has received from his peers, or rumors about 'selling out' his indie reputation, he decided to risk his career to develop this project, because it is the best way to achieve his goal.

"I'm not expecting you to deliver up to my ideals right away. But I chose each of you, specifically, because I saw your potentials" then he chuckled with embarrassment "honestly, I didn't know you originally because I don't watch television much, but I've seen you in bits and pieces of videos and commercials. You're all here because in some way or another you caught my attention". To his audience, however, this did not seem like a compliment. "I don't want you to say: 'I'm the actor playing as the concierge' – instead I want you to say: 'I am the concierge'. I want you to own your characters, I want you to be them and make me believe that when I see you 'acting' I'm seeing reality" he added, his fists clenched on the table. Despite their initial impression of this odd director, it was evident to everyone that his passion is genuine. He wants this project to be different and memorable.

"And while working on this project, I want you to learn as much as the audience and myself. I want you to grow as artists, as actors, as individuals" he said with finality.

"With those things out of the way, now let us ask for a demonstration!" he suddenly exclaimed, reaching out for a copy of the script from his assistant director. "Let's look at episode 5, the part where Aiki and her co-worker Arizawa is talking about the old beggar living at the train station".

The actress who will play Arizawa suddenly perked up upon hearing her character's name. She flaunted her red-brown hair and smiled seductively, specially looking towards Japan's number one most desirable man sitting across her. Her name is Nobunaga Mirai, a semi-successful talent from LME.

"Tch tch, that's not its Arizawa-san" the director commented shaking his head. "You are a 35-year old housewife of a mechanic. You hate your life because your husband's useless. You are always disgruntled and your only joy is speaking bad about everybody else. Show me a bit more angst, discontentment, but still you should have this air of nonchalance like you don't really care about anything or anyone" the director added. Everybody else looked at the bearded man, though a few did try to stifle a laugh seeing Mirai's reaction on the director's mention of her character's age. Everyone who knew her is privy to the fact she hated any comment about her being over 30. She still acted like a twenty-something starlet. Who would have thought that their cheerful director can be the most critical of all critics?

"Well then, can we start?" he looked at Mirai fondly. The older actress just nodded. Kyoko did not need asking, because when she opened her eyes after closing them for a minute or so, she was already Aiki, her eyes had become so lifeless, it almost sucked out the cheerfulness from the director's face.

Arizawa stood behind Aiki, who was acting as if sitting on a stool and tallying their ticket sales for the day.

"You know that old guy who sleeps here at the station? They say he used to be a rich man.." Arizawa said out of the blue.

"Uh- hmn" Aiki answered, not really paying attention.

"Cut! There's too much eagerness in your voice and delivery. Say it with a bit more nonchalance Pick your nails or something, while you say it" Ayane instructed.

The actress looked horrified. _How on earth can she pick her nails in front of all these people? And in front of the dreamy Ren Tsuruga?  
_

"Okay, let's begin again from the top. Action!"

"Uhm- ah—you know that old guy sleeping at—"

"Cut! Why are you hesitating? Remember, you're talking to a co-worker you talk to everyday. You don't like her but you talk to her anyway because there's no else around. Can we try that again?"

The flustered actress can only nod.

The scene repeated itself over again, until Ayane was at least a bit satisfied with that single line being said. After that small scene, he cheerfully called on the next set of actors for 'demonstration' of their scene, as if it's the most natural thing. As expected, they did not meet his expectations right away. It even took longer to get an affirmation. Even Ren received a couple of remarks about showing too much of his teeth when he smiled and being too stiff, and this surprised everyone, knowing that they are seeing THE Tsuruga Ren, the no-NG king. Only Kyoko remained consistent and in-character. This frustrated the other actors more, because even though the director did not praise her in any way they cannot help but feel as if they are being compared to the newbie actress. Add this to the fact that they are being pounded upon by a TV-newbie director, who, astonishingly remained cheerful and active throughout the rest of the afternoon. Finally, around half-past 4 PM, they were dismissed to prepare for the rest of the afternoon shoot.

As Ren emerged from his dressing trailer, everyone was already prepared for the shoot. Kyoko was already dressed in her casual clothes. The scenes they would shoot will be shown as an alternate between Aiki going down the stairs behind the hotel and Keiji going up inside the elevator.

As with Aiki's first few scenes, the shot was moving, following the actions of the characters from one point to another. Keiji's scene started as he entered the hotel from the front. He held a brown leather suitcase in one hand and his coat in another. He wears a conservative dark brown suit with a dark blue tie. He greeted the hotel bellboy, who was hardly a boy because he's already 55 years old. As he passed by the lobby, the 2 clerks greeted him and flirted obviously. He smiled in return but remained guarded. The concierge got out of the elevator just as it opened to receive him. The man tried to strike up a conversation, being his pretentiously arrogant self, which Keiji expertly brushed aside with a weary smile, and a "you're doing okay, man". The camera followed him as the elevator ascended. When he reached his floor, 7th of the 12 floors, he turned left. The camera focused on his broad back. His sigh as he fished out his key from a pocket of his trousers, was caught perfectly by the lenses. When he opened his door, the camera followed his hands as he dropped the keys on his bureau and his coat on top of a chair, as he loosened his ties and went to his CD collection and chose a very familiar-looking CD case, then jammed the CD into the player. He went to his small kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice. The music played as he gazed out of the window, looking at the sun lowering down at the horizon.

"Cut! Let's see it" Ayane instructed and walked to Ichizawa to check on the unedited output, slowly nodding his approval as it played.

"Excellent work on the camera Kuroki" he commented. The cameraman beamed back at him. The guy was only 23 years old, but his dexterity, stamina, and his expertise on catching the perfect shots of moving scenes had gotten him quite famous among indie filmmakers. He was so pleased when Director Ayane chose him for the project, because he liked doing what he does best. Also, he wanted some exposure into more popular areas of movie-making / television, because he wanted to work in action films.

"Ren-san, you can go and change now. You're scenes are already quite perfect as they are now" but when he had gotten quite closer, the director said "we'd still have to work on some of your facial expressions, however, because sometimes you still act like Ren Tsuruga. But we'll do that some other time" he said as he patted the actor on the back.

Ren was startled. _What did he mean by 'you still act like Ren Tsuruga'? Does the director know about his true identity? Did Lory somehow let it slip?_ He realized he has to watch out for this man, as he walked down to change his clothes.

* * *

Despite their embarrassment earlier that afternoon, a lot of the supporting cast remained behind to watch the rest of the filming. As the crew moved to prepare for the last scene to be shot, at the back of the hotel entrance, they stayed beyond the cordoned off portion. Some of the real hotel utility staff wandered around the same area. Some asked for autographs from the waiting actors, some dared to take pictures, while some, watched curiously the celebrities who seemed to be waiting for something or someone to appear.

Suddenly, Director Ayane exited from the hotel back door; behind him is the other cameraman. They settled right beside the cordoned off bystanders and onlookers. Ayane gave brief instructions to his companion who got into position, focusing on the back door. Ichizawa peeked out and looked at Ayane for his signal and nodded, which meant that the film should start rolling. Within five minutes, Aiki pushed out of the back door, with hair in a bit of a mess and her face a bit flushed. She still has this aura of a broken soul but upon her countenance, one can also see an expression that says she just had the time of her life. Some of the male bystanders could not help but think that she may be a bit attractive after all. Then she looked up, towards a point uncertain. When she looked down a full minute later, she had returned to her melancholy. She hunched her shoulders once again, as she trudged towards the main road to her left, followed by the oncoming dusk. 

* * *

End of Chapter 

* * *

Hope you liked it :)

I'm having some PC hardware troubles that prevented me from uploading sooner. I'll be having 2 job interviews on Monday, wish me luck!

Also, please remember that the filming would have to be broken down as they move to different locations. The cameraman, though he is described as quite gifted, cannot just run with the characters all the time, up and down stairs, riding inside elevators in one continuous sweep. That's highly improbable and unrealistic. I just chose to present the scenes (just snippets, really) continuously because it would just be too tedious to write everything down; though I do have a clear picture of everything inside my head. The episodes, contents and major developments will be presented in their specific and isolated chapters later on. 


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Reality Bites

Chapter 10: A Happy Ending After All – Part I

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! (singing "I wanna be a billionaire so freakin' bad.." - surely Nakamura-san would let me buy it for a billion dollars..) 

* * *

Note: Thank you for the insightful reviews. Please know I am also most times frustrated with my grammar and my command of the English language. I'd be really grateful to any beta reader out there who'd be willing to proofread my story. Please know, however, I do not have any money and I cannot offer anything to compensate anyone's efforts. I'm just a trying-hard-wannabe-writer after all. Right now, I'm still struggling with my motivation to continue writing this story. I feel like as Aiki continues to struggle within her despair, I am struggling within my own. Oh, the feeling of depression.. I've known it countless times and I still can't get used to it.

* * *

Friday is a school day and a LoveMe day for our favorite budding actress. She should be feeling happy today. She just finished the first filming of her new drama, in which she plays the lead role. The filming went well, on time, and everyone on set was in high spirits as they packed up their equipment and headed home. She will have the whole day to catch up with her schoolwork and to see her best friend and her other almost best friend. But as she walked through the hallway of their school building after getting a bottle of fruit juice from the cafeteria, she does not feel happy at all. Perhaps it's the lingering depression from being too immersed into her new character or maybe it's just fatigue from too little sleep and long, stressful days. Whatever it is, she just wants to end the day as soon as possible so she can crawl inside her futon and sleep.

She chose to do her assignments during break while her classmates gossiped away. _If Tsuruga-san would see me now, he'd definitely scold me for not eating properly_, she thought. A bottle of fruit juice does not necessarily constitute a healthy meal. But she just has no appetite. She did eat breakfast at the Darumaya, with the okami-san's insistence, but even then, she ate only sparingly. _Maybe,_ she said to herself, _I'll have my appetite back in time for dinner, and then I wouldn't have to feel guilty._ Surely she'd get a dose of her own medicine from her dear senpai, telling her she ought to take care of her body because that is an actor's responsibility. If he was Cain, he would not say anything, he'd just drive her to Setsu's favorite food place and order everything on the menu until she asked him to stop; then he'd look at her with those puppy-dog eyes and she'd cling to him until they finish their meal. She sighed. She misses him terribly and they had just said their farewells two nights before.

* * *

The tall actor kept on thinking about his kohai as he went through his photo shoot. He can't stop worrying about Kyoko, because when they parted she was so silent and uncommunicative. He tried to just think that she was tired since she never got a lot of breaks during the filming the day before. But her silence was so uncharacteristic of the cheerful and lively girl he'd known and love. He's afraid that working in the new drama would change her drastically. He understands what she is probably going through. He just finished playing a cold-hearted murderer, after all. Now, more than ever, he was determined to monitor her well-being by never leaving her side and making sure that she is happy and positive, though he hasn't really figured out how.

His photographer called for a short break and he immediately headed to his designated chair to rest. Yashiro had bombarded him with questions about what had transpired the day before. His manager knew he spent the entire day with Kyoko. The man would have been there only if Ren had given in. But he insisted that his manager take a well-deserved day-off.

Yashiro understood right away what this 'offer' meant. It meant his charge wants to have some time alone with the object of his affections. Initially, he was torn between wanting to witness the tender moments between his two most favorite people and making sure that the two really are alone so that there will be no possible interruptions on that momentous occasion. He finally gave up and just wished Ren good luck, skipping with joy as he hurried to his apartment to mark the date on his calendar (believe it or not, he has been keeping tabs on Ren and Kyoko's precious romantic moments). But Friday morning only offered disappointment to the hopeful manager. Ren remained silent as they drove to his photo shoot. He asked indirect questions at first, so as not to completely discourage him from sharing the events of yesterday, but when the man refused to answer anything he became more bold and direct. That didn't get him anything, of course.

Now, as Ren walked towards him, Yashiro snatched his water bottle and offered it to his charge.

"Good job, Ren, as usual. I was thinking of calling Kyoko-chan up to have dinner with us. I figured she'd be running late due to her LoveMe work today. That is, if it's okay with you. Your schedule is clear after 4 PM today" he said, casually.

"Sure, please call her. I think she's still in school now and won't get off until 3"

Yashiro did a double take. Ren had never been this forward regarding Kyoko. He must know that he is just baiting him; still he was okay with it. He even requested, without his creepy gentleman smile.

"O- okay. I'll send her a text message first then I'll call her later while you finish this shoot" he answered, getting his gloves from a pocket.

After sending the message, he glanced back at his charge and saw the actor brooding, holding his water bottle which is just half-full.

"Ren, I'm really concerned. Did something happen again? You've been brooding all day" he finally asked, itching for at least a vague answer.

Ren sighed. "I'm just a bit worried about Kyoko. Her new character is a bit- difficult" he said vaguely.

"You mean she's still having problems finding her character?"

Ren shook his head. "No. She'd found it. What worries me is how she gets so depressed even after takes. Usually, she'd snap out of her character once the director says cut. But it's different now, somehow"

_So that's why?_ Yashiro thought. _Does Kanae-san know about this?  
_

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Ren. She's a tough kid. I'll try to work around your schedule so you can see her more often. Don't let it affect your work too" Yashiro advised.

The younger man just nodded. He was a bit troubled for sharing this bit of his sentiment with his manager. But then, he had lately realized that Yashiro had been his closest friend. He knew the man would never betray his confidence. It still creeps him out how he manages to get a hold of Kyoko's schedule, but that does not matter. He gets the job done. And he's extremely thankful for that. He failed, however, to realize, that since coming back from America, he had been slowly letting the people around him get a glimpse of who he truly is: a young man who is troubled, vulnerable, has many weaknesses, can sometimes be extremely insecure (especially when it comes to his lady love), temperamental, AND awfully lovesick.

As Ren got back to his spot to restart the shoot, Yashiro took out his phone and sent another message:

'Need to speak with you about an important matter. Meet me 5PM later. Will wait at the Manager's lounge'

* * *

Kotonami Kanae is pissed. She had been sorting Sawara-san's documents, including the fan mail of LME's more famous talents. She was surprised to find a whole boxful of them addressed to her, and another boxful addressed to her weird best friend. But after hours and hours of reading endless 'I love you. Please marry me's and 'I want to be the mother of your children's addressed to Ren Tsuruga (the name needed 2 entire cabinets for his voluminous fan mail), she just could not take it any more, that she decided to take a break, else she go mad and burn up everything and exorcise the file room from the numerous obsessive spirits residing there. Embarrassingly, she found herself looking for the weird girl with golden hair. _She should be here now, she's due for LoveMe duties at 4PM, _she thought angrily. Then she remembered the text message earlier. _Damn, what does he want? Why does he even think I'd talk to him in the middle of my work?_ She decided to just go and hear the man out. After all, it may be about Kyoko and she definitely has every right to hear whatever that is.

As she rounded a corner, she finally saw her query. The said best friend is amicably chatting with the tall devil, the fanmail-monger. She is suddenly contemplating going back, afraid to be subjected to another pink dervish attack, but then again she can't just go away and let that Tsuruga get all of Kyoko's attention. She is THE best friend. If there should be anyone to make her smile and chat with her so joyfully, it should be her.

She was about to clear her throat loudly so as to get Kyoko's attention, when she heard her name being called.

"Kanae-san" somebody whispered behind her.

Kanae whipped her head back and noticed that the tall potted plant right beside the corner is looking seriously out of place and extremely ruffled.

"Over here" the voice called again.

Then she saw a glint from right behind the potted plant and a slim hand waving frantically and very conspicuously at her.

She stomped towards the hand. "What?" she snapped, though also in a whisper.

"Let's go someplace else" the bespectacled man answered.

Kanae 'hmpfd' and looked back at the hallway she just left, she can still catch up with those two, she thought.

"What is it about Yashiro-san?" she asked, trying not to sound too angry. The man just made her miss the chance of finally speaking with her best friend.

"It's about Kyoko-chan" he whispered back.

"What about her? Why is it your business?" she snapped at him loudly.

He looked around before answering "Can we, maybe go someplace else? Somewhere more private?"

She bristled at the word private. "There's no one here, as you can see"

"Please, Kanae-san" he pleaded.

She sighed. "Fine. Just make it quick"

They headed towards the rear stairwell where there is relatively no people traffic. LME's talents and their staff don't usually like to use the stairs so it has become a more convenient place to discuss personal confidential matters. They descended to another level and after making sure that the exit doors were closed, Yashiro faced the irate actress once again.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday" he said softly.

Kanae suddenly turned around. "Please Kanae-san, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.. to do what I did. It was impulsive and I'm not commonly like that. You were just so.."

"Stop!" she shouted as she faced him. He winced, not because she spoke too loudly but because she sounded so angry.

She tried to compose herself. "I came here with you, to talk about Kyoko. You said it was important so I followed. I don't want to talk about that" she said the last word with much disgust.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm not going to say any more. But you forgive me right?"

The black-haired beauty rolled her eyes but then she still nodded in assent. The young manager beamed at this, to which her heart reacted quite violently. For almost a minute there she.. she almost grabbed him.

"About Kyoko-chan.. Well, have you talked to her lately?" he asked, suddenly speaking formally.

"No, are you an idiot? Didn't you just prevent me from speaking to her? I was waiting for a chance to talk to her in a week but then when I finally found her, there you are calling me in whispers" she answered sarcastically.

He only nodded in reply. "Fine. That's OK, you can talk to her tonight. Ren and I are going to take her out to dinner. You see, she's been having some problems with her new role"

This statement made Kanae seriously interested and sad. _How can she keep this from me?_ "What problems? Is someone bullying her again? And how do you know about this?" _Of course, because he's Tsuruga-san's manager. But why on earth would he be keeping close watch on Kyoko as well?  
_

"Did something happen at the shoot?"

"No. Not exactly. The shoot went well. But Kyoko-chan's having difficulty keeping out of her character. Apparently, she's been quite depressed lately" Yashiro explained.

Kanae spent some thought on this. She's never heard of Kyoko acting like that. She'd seen the girl angry, fantasizing, afraid, brooding, but never depressed. _So her character really was that difficult…  
_

"Then why are you taking her out? She should be resting, unwinding, besides I AM HER BEST FRIEND and I think I can take it from here" she said and abruptly turned away.

"No! No, you see, Ren has been quite worried about her. He was so worried he had forgotten to put on his gentleman persona. And I think it's best for both of them to be together at this time" he said, almost desperate.

Yashiro just confirmed Kanae's suspicion and possibly, her worst fear. Tsuruga Ren is in love with her best friend. Only a man who is love sick (she almost gagged at the thought, except that the situation may also have an effect on Kyoko's happiness) can forget and lose his composure that he has so tirelessly created and safely guarded.

"Then why do I have to be there?" she asked.

"Well, it would be best for her to be surrounded by everyone who cares for her. And – well, I'd feel quite out of place, as if I'm interfering with their date, if I go there alone" Yashiro answered with a blush, looking down at his shoes like a schoolboy.

Kanae almost laughed at him. So he asked her so she can be with him and not really for Kyoko? This man has some nerve. She thought for a moment, more to compose herself rather than really think. She was honest enough to know that she is interested to go, though not really because of him, but because of Kyoko and also to see the famous Tsuruga Ren stumble all over himself trying to win her best friend's heart.

"Ren has already given his permission" he added and immediately regretted this, because his last comment made the young actress angry again.

"Fine. I'll be there. Make sure to pick me up at the LoveMe office later. And don't be late!" she said as she stomped towards the nearest exit door.

_The nerve of that overgrown baboon! As if I need permission to spend time with MY BEST FRIEND? _Kanae thought as she angrily threw open the door and almost removed them from their hinges.

Yashiro only looked on, quite pleased. It didn't turn out the way he exactly planned, but the end result was still as he desired. He'll be able to watch over his two charges (one is adopted) and also spend some time with the girl who had captured his infatuation. He looked up at the stairwell, heard some 'eepps' and crashes from the hallway just inside that door and knew that they were caused by the beautiful goddess who just left his side, and he smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

Ren shifted in his seat. The air-conditioning inside the President's office is functioning properly, but he is beginning to sweat. They are waiting for the President. He doesn't know if the man intended for them to sit closely together (too close for Ren's comfort and peace of mind) but this is what appears to be when he left only a very narrow love seat in front of his mock-golden throne. He was about to stand and walk around under the pretension of boredom (lest he make his companion feel awkward about him standing up and she sitting down when he is the senpai) when Lory entered the room regally. With much swishing of his garments, he sat down on his throne, his closest aid immediately placing himself behind, beside a life-sized sculpture of Anubis.

Both actors stood up and greeted the eccentric man. He raised an eyebrow when Ren began hesitating to sit back down, which had the desired effect, because the tall actor did return to his spot and obviously began trying to control himself. Lory smirked.

"This will be brief. I have scheduled a publicity event for Dark Moon after the final episode airs" he said with a certain air of mystery. "I've seen the final output that will be shown on Tuesday and I congratulate the both of you" still, he did not smile, which was odd because commonly he's the one to celebrate enthusiastically upon the successful completion of a project. Even Kyoko has begun to feel a little bit off.

"There seems to be something you're not telling us " Ren stated politely. Kyoko looked at him then at the president, expectantly.

"Well, the ending of Dark Moon, was of course phenomenal, but I believe it can still be improved in certain aspects and there are continuing discussions about another episode – the real final episode" Lory explained.

"But President, wouldn't that change the story from the original Tsukigomori?" Kyoko asked.

"Not necessarily, the original, as you know ended with Mizuki dying and Katsuki and Mio surviving and forgiving the Hongo family. But it did not tell what happened to them after that. Personally, I think that leaves a lot of unanswered questions" the President snorted. He was, after all, a devoted follower of the series. He was a bit disappointed that Hiroaki Sensei decided to end the story like that when it had so much potential. This is why he rallied for another episode and a more final and unexpected ending. He smiled slightly at the thought. _Keeping this from them is so much fun; I can just imagine their expressions when they hear about 'my' ending._ It was really too bad that he had to make a compromise just so he'd have a chance to make his dream ending come true.

Lory sighed with exasperation "Anyway, it's still being discussed. It will all depend on the viewers. Starting Tuesday, we will advertise in Dark Moon's website and invite all viewers to send in their comments about the last episode. If more than 50% of them ask for another episode, then filming will push through. So I have to ask you to both maintain your schedules as flexible as possible in the coming week"

Both young actors were clearly surprised by this declaration. But they know who they are talking to. Lory is powerful enough to influence the production team of Dark Moon to accommodate the change and surely he has a long standing, unfulfilled desire to see through the perfect ending in his mind and once he is determined to get something, he can never be dissuaded.

"Also, after all these has panned out, we'll hold a party to celebrate Dark Moon's ending and introduce 'Right Behind You' by showing clips from your first episode" he explained. He did not, however, mention the names of certain personalities who will attend. He almost smirked at the thought as he looked at Ren. The boy will definitely be surprised.

"Do you have any more concerns?" he asked.

"None at the moment, Sir" Ren answered to which Kyoko assented to.

"Well, then, I'll let you be on your way" he said, finally smiling, but still looking a bit preoccupied.

The younger people stood up and bowed before finally leaving. Kyoko seemed okay with the exchange with the president, and happily chatted about the possible endings of Dark Moon, including Katsuki going abroad and marrying a princess and Mio finally becoming the ojou-sama that she truly is, since there are no more evil sisters and parents to bring her down. But Ren remained distracted. He feels there is something more to the whole scenario than what the President had let on, that the man is hiding something quite important, acting all aloof and distant. _What is that man planning now?  
_

* * *

"Mo- Moko-san?" Kyoko stuttered, she looked wide-eyed at the beautiful raven-haired girl in front of her waiting beside Ren's manager.

"Mo- who else? Just tell me if you don't want me to come" Kotonami Kanae answered her best friend, and started to turn away.

"NOOOOO! Moko-san! I was just surprised, I want you to come!" the other pink-clad girl wailed, clinging to her arm.

"Mo! I know, let off.. I'm coming with you" she answered as she forced herself away, while glaring at the smug-looking bespectacled man who looked at their demonstration with an amused expression.

Kyoko now stared at her best friend with awe, all sparkly-eyed, ready to jump her at any moment. "If it wasn't for this- if it wasn't for Yashiro-san I wouldn't have the chance to speak with you. And to think I am your BEST FRIEND" she emphasized as she glared at their other companion who only smiled his gentleman smile.

"I'm so sorry Moko-san… I was just a bit busy. I promise it won't happen again. I'll call you every hour! No! Every minute!" Kyoko answered.

"I never asked that, and don't overdo it" Kanae answered, despite herself she had already forgiven the girl. After all, if there was anyone to rival her dedication to her work, it was Kyoko. So, she definitely understood. She just didn't like that she had spent more time with Tsuruga Ren than with her in the past week.

"So" Kyoko clapped her hands "where are we going Yashiro-san?" she asked with cheer, while Kanae flipped her hair and avoided looking at the manager's face.

"Well, do you have some special treat in mind? What do you feel like eating tonight?" Yashiro answered with equal cheer.

"Uhmm.. there's nothing really in particular—"

"I wanna eat at the Darumaya" Kanae answered.

"Where, Kanae-san?" Yashiro asked, to which the actress gave another glare in response.

"That's great! I haven't spent much time at the Darumaya in the past week, that's perfect! I can even cook for Moko-san" the other actress exclaimed as she brushed herself against her best friend's arm. Kanae only cringed but did not pull her arm away.

"Oh, you mean the restaurant where you live?"

Kyoko nodded while Kanae smirked, glancing at the tall actor who until now only listened to their conversation. The man still looked confident enough, she cannot tell exactly. _Let's see if you can still show that gentleman smile of yours in front of the taisho, Tsuruga Ren.  
_

Ren remained impassive, still amiable and quite unaffected, though inside he wanted to thump Yashiro in the head. True, he accepted his manager's offer to bring Kotonami-san along, but he only consented for Kyoko's sake, and so she won't have any reason to change her mind for accepting his offer. But he can't handle being subjected to the actress' torture and to the taisho's too. But he really cannot blame Yashiro who has never met the older man, and who doesn't know how terrifying Kyoko's guardian can be. Ren sighed silently, he only wanted to spend some quality time with her, but this is how it ends up. He looked at his manager who remained smiling smugly as they walked towards his car. The girls were a few steps ahead, with the younger one chatting away about yesterday's filming. He was relieved somewhat to hear her talking, to see her smiling and happy, even at the cost of his own peace of mind. _This is for Kyoko, for Kyoko, _he told himself as he readied his mind to the prospect of meeting the taisho again. He looked back at Yashiro, and whispered: "Idiot".

"Huh? What's that you were saying, Ren? Sorry I didn't quite get it?" the man answered, genuinely perplexed.

"Nothing" 

* * *

It was so hard to write this chapter, and it didn't even have anything.. jeez..

I just finished re-reading _Lightning _by Dean Koontz. If you love fiction and adventure stories / love stories then I totally suggest it. I haven't read it in years, but it still made me cry and smile during odd moments.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: REALITY BITES

Disclaimer: I don't own SKIP BEAT!

* * *

Chapter 11: A Happy Ending After All - Part II

Who would think that the famous Ren Tsuruga -who can melt a woman's heart with a single smile, who can beat 4 mean thugs all by himself, and can slip into a cold blooded killer character with ease - would wither from a single look thrown by a middle-aged restaurateur? The answer: no one. No one would believe that at this very moment, Japan's Number One Most Desirable Man is sweating profusely underneath his expensive shirt, trying to hold the gaze of the taisho, as the old man carefully and precisely cut a piece of beef with his expert hands.

In his head, he alternately cursed his incorrigible manager for even considering this arrangement and himself for agreeing to it and thinking that he actually had a chance in standing up to his lady love's guardian's hostile scrutiny.

When the taisho finally dropped his gaze to focus on his food preparation, Tsuruga Ren felt his lungs relax, expelling the breath he has been holding for a while (he was truly afraid that any noise he makes would somehow offend the old man and he would be violently kicked out of the Darumaya, which was quite absurd, really, as he is Kyoko's guest. _But who can blame him for thinking such fearsome thoughts?_).

To alleviate his discomfort, he turned his attention to the object of his affections, happily helping out the taisho behind the counter. She looked relaxed and at home and clearly enjoying herself. Somehow, seeing her happy and more cheerful than her usual self the past few days were well worth all his efforts for tonight. His concern for her emotional well-being was allayed a bit.

"So, Tsuruga-san, is it your first time dining here? The taisho is pretty good with his knife, don't you think?" the raven-haired actress beside him commented with a sly and sarcastic tone as they all watched the two cooks in front of them. The okami-san had set up their private dining room to accommodate the young celebrities and so as not to disrupt their business. Immediately after they arrived, Kotonami Kanae has acted completely at home, sweetly conversing with the okami-san and greeting the taisho who favored her with a silent but welcoming nod. At times she looked pointedly at him, before cheerfully chatting with their hosts as if telling him that she is closer to Kyoko's adoptive parents than he is. This only amused Ren, however. He had no plans being chummy with the taisho any time soon. He'll worry about it after Kyoko has finally accepted his affections, which may take a couple or more years at the rate of his current snail's pace advancement.

It was his manager who answered Kanae. "Yeah, the old man's really good. I would really hate to cross him in any way" Yashiro agreed, good-naturedly, completely oblivious to the young actress' heated glare.

"He's really skilled. If I didn't know that he's not Kyoko's real father, I would think Kyoko got her skill from him" Ren answered loudly, making sure that both the taisho and his kohai heard.

Kyoko, who was busily preparing the other ingredients, blushed "I'm nowhere near the taisho's level" and then looked worriedly at the old man beside her.

The said old man is looking at the tall actor directly seated in front of him. He did not drop his gaze even as he said "You have potential" in that gruff manner of his.

Yashiro chuckled, too dense to detect any hint of antagonism between the two alpha males in the room. "Yeah, I think so too, Kyoko-chan. After all, your cooking is the only one that Ren likes apart from convenience store food".

The gifted actress' face scrunched up hearing this. "Well, if I was his manager I'd make sure he eats healthier meals and not let him stuff his face with junk food" she said with a condescending tone.

Yashiro immediately felt cold and smiled sheepishly. "You know I do try, Kyoko-chan, but you can't imagine how hard-headed this guy can be. When it comes to eating, he's still like a gradeschooler".

Kanae snorted. Ren raised an eyebrow at his manager. But this was broken up by Kyoko's comment. "Oh, I know how hard-headed he can be.." she said with such affection that even the taisho looked at her. For a full minute they just stared at each other until finally the old man cleared his throat.

"You rice is already cooked"

Kyoko reacted to this by looking flustered and hurrying to the rice cooker while Kanae shot another glare at the two men sitting with her and the taisho loudly chopped a head of cabbage into two halves. Yashiro almost choked on the tea he was sipping. Ren decided to watch his words from that moment, lest the taisho fulfill his hidden death wish.

* * *

After the dishes were cleaned and the dinner things were put away, Kyoko's visitors finally said goodbye to their hosts. They tried to delay their departure as much as possible to avoid any chance of the celebrities being recognized. By 9:30 the last of the late diners finally left and the conditions were safe enough to ensure a swift and uneventful exit.

"Thank you for the great meal, taisho, okami-san" Yashiro said with a formal bow.

The okami-san bowed gracefully in return, her eyes smiling at the young people. "You are always welcome here, thank you for always taking care of Kyoko-chan" she said softly. The taisho only grunted in reply, then stared at Ren for almost a minute before finally looking away.

Kyoko is still baffled by the interactions between the two men. The taisho is not a very sociable person, but her senpai is the most respectful person there is that his gentleman-_ness_ can be quite scary at times. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by a melodious voice she has gotten used to hearing in past few months.

"I hope you enjoyed our dinner tonight, Kyoko"

She looked at her tall senpai. His smile makes her a bit jittery, but she managed to answer: "uh-huh" and nod her head in a daze. Yashiro patted the actor's shoulder and whispered something she could not hear, or maybe she was just too fuzzy-headed.

"Mo! Just say goodnight already!" an angry Kanae spat. "Don't stay up late and take as much rest as you can. And call me tomorrow before you get to LME" her best friend demanded.

Kyoko shifted from being a frazzled kohai to a devoted best friend. "Will you have lunch with me tomorrow, Moko-san?" she asked, linking her arm to that of the other actress'.

"Hm.. sure, why not. But I'll decide where. I swear I'm not going to eat any more of those calorie-filled meals" she relented, though with a bit of hesitation.

"OK" Kyoko answered happily, to which her best friend smiled benignly as reply.

"We ought to go. Kanae-san we'll drop you off to your house" Yashiro offered. "Good night, Kyoko-chan" he waved.

"Good night, Yashiro-san, Moko-san, Tsuruga-san" she said, bowing. She feels infinitely much better than in the past few days.

"Mo, get inside, it's late" her best friend scolded as she turned away heading towards Ren's car. Yashiro followed suit, happily prancing along behind the other actress. _There's something about those two_, Kyoko thought. But before she could prod further into this new observation, her senpai's voice interrupted her train of thought once again.

"Good night, Kyoko" he said softly. The way he says her name sends a pleasant thrill through her. She can't quite understand why. No one has ever made her feel like that, not even Shotaro. _Stop! Why are you thinking about that baka? He's so unlike Tsuruga-san! There's not point in comparing, no point at all.  
_

"Have you thought about my request?" he asked.

For a minute she was left baffled, unsure of what he was talking about.

Then he sighed with resignation. "Think about it some more, Kyoko, it would really please me if you call me by my given name. I'd be really happy" he said, then bowed, and left.

Kyoko stood there, stunned, disoriented, almost giddy, goose-bumped. And for a while she'd forgotten her inner turmoil and basked at the warmth left by the handsome devil's wake.

* * *

The weekend was uneventful, but a measure of anticipation hung in the air. It is already tuesday. Mogami Kyoko has just finished her Bridge Rock assignment as Bo and it's already 8PM. The Ishibashi brothers have complained ceaselessly about not being able to watch the last episode of Dark Moon which coincides with the schedule of the filming for their next Bridge Rock episode. Kyoko had tried to cheer them up and thanked them for their support. She never thought that they watched her shows. _And to think they began watching them because of her!_ She had never even watched them herself. She was too busy with juggling about her TV projects, school, and LoveMe duties. Besides, she was more interested in the process rather that the actual output. But the building pressure has also taken its toll. She had found herself listening for occasional comments and snippets of conversations about the last episode of their drama. It seems that even in the showbiz community, much talk is being generated by people in front and behind the camera. It may be because of the drama's publicity team has really been effective or maybe the drama was really THAT good. Well, any drama with such a powerful cast is supposed to be record breakers. Never once had she considered her role and her effective portrayal of Mio, now considered as one of the most badass characters of all time, as the reason for Dark Moon being as popular as it is.

Whatever happens, Kyoko knew she had done her best. In some small way, she was able to show that she is a true professional. And if there was any extension to the story's ending, it couldn't be that unpredictable or unexpected. They may even resurrect Mizuki's character and make Katsuki and Mizuki's story a happy ending. Then, wouldn't that be nice for everyone?

Ren, being as busy, was not able to watch the last episode as well. But his television has been programmed to record it for his later viewing. Like his kohai, he was not much concerned with the output for he knows that the crew and Director Ogata will make sure that only a product of the highest quality gets aired. But out of habit, he kept recording the episodes of all the shows he becomes part of. Well, except for Bridge Rock. He records the show because of his chicken friend.

He dared not think about the possibility of another Dark Moon episode - because his memory kept bringing him back to the suspicious gleam he saw in the eyes of the president when he implied of this particular possibility. The thought was just too disconcerting - the probable twists and turns are limitless and he decided it was best to just wait and pray that there will be no more big surprises.

* * *

It's almost 12 midnight. A gloved hand reaches for the optical mouse beside a laptop computer. The user cannot be identified because the room is pitch-dark, except for the glow coming from the screen. He is currently viewing the fan page of Dark Moon opened very recently by LME. There is an ongoing poll. The survey is asking if the viewers want another episode of Dark Moon, a real unexpected and much anticipated finale. He clicked the button labeled "YES", after which, a blank window appeared below. It asks: "If you were the writer, how do you want the story to end? Please describe in less than 200 words". Then he begins typing.

As he clicked the button labeled "SUBMIT", he smirked and the words "VOTE SUBMITTED" flashed. The bright glow of the screen is reflected upon the surface of his spectacles.

Now, he just needs to sign-in into his other accounts and make his vote counted again.. and again.. and again.

An urgent meeting was called by Director Ogata, 2PM wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after airing of Dark Moon's supposed last episode. Kyoko had a Box-R shoot that morning. Before coming to LME, she had dropped off her assignments. She barely had 5 minutes to spare when she finally parked her trusty bike, the wheels of which had successfully skid-marked the pavement. She didn't have time to put on her LoveMe coveralls and went directly to the conference area. It was already half-full when she entered. A projector has been set-up at the middle and Director Ogata is frantically speaking with his script writer in the front. She immediately sought out a familiar figure. It wasn't long before she finally found him, sitting beside his manager, looking calm, collected, and beautiful as always.

"Good afternoon, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san" she greeted.

Both men smiled at her but only one of the smiles made her breath hitch for a moment.

"Good afternoon, Kyoko-chan, you look a bit harried" Yashiro commented on her windswept hair and rumpled blouse. She feels mortified letting her senpai see her like that, but she'd feel worse if she was late for the meeting.

"Uhm, yes, I had to drop by school for my homework. I'm glad I even got here on time. Do we have news already?" she asked, curious as to the cause of the building commotion around her.

"None yet. Director Ogata wants to announce the rating and the results of the poll only once. He's just waiting for everyone to arrive" Ren answered. They both looked around and true enough some of the actors are still missing.

"I hope the last episode did well" she commented, biting her lip. Not that she was worried in some big way. But she knew that this would mean a lot to Tsuruga-san and to Director Ogata.

Right then, the young Director cleared his throat from across the room, and immediately, everyone took their places. Unbeknownst to them, another director and the eccentric president has covertly entered the conference room to listen in on the news, although, these two men already know the results.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming under such short notice" Ogata started.

"I'm glad to inform you that last night's Dark Moon episode has reached a record breaking 52% rating" he said, trying to hide the pride in his voice.

A collective cheer broke from the group.

"Congratulations and thank you for all your efforts" the director looked even younger when he said this.

"However, due to an astounding demand from our audience, I'm afraid to tell you that our work is not yet done"

The projector flashed the link to the website fanpage of Dark Moon, showing a simple graph with percentages. The website received a whopping 60,000 hits in just one night. And 89% of the visitors voted for another Dark Moon episode.

"Now, I'm sure you know about this possibility. But what was not announced was we also took a poll, more like a qualitative survey on the most requested ending for the story."

There were murmurs all around. Surely, they wouldn't base the ending of the story on just a rabid fan's idea…

"You may think it a desecration of the story from my father" the Director piped up above all the noise. "But believe me when I say that the original creators of Tsukigomori gave their consent. After all, the story beyond the final resolution which includes the death of Mizuki and Misao has never been disclosed".

Most people in the room nodded. What he said was true. Tsukigomori's conclusion only showed the death of the two major characters. Some of the older people in the group remembered watching and being somewhat disappointed with the final episode. In some way they could understand the 89% asking for more.

"Several storylines have been drafted prior to this, and amazingly, the storyline chosen by the producers and original creators is quite similar to what the audience wanted – garnering" Ogata looked at the paper on his hands "65% of the 89% who entered their entries for another episode".

The slide being shown shifted into the main advertisement banner of Dark Moon showing Mizuki and Katsuki slowly transforming into an image showing the picture of the remaining cast and at the center were the images of Katsuki and Mio showing them at their most tender moments. At the bottom, the title of the final episode appeared:_** The Sun Rises **_- Mio's Happy Ending.

Standing at the side, an old mustachioed man giggled. Not so very far away, a younger man groaned. The young woman beside him stared at the screen in front of her, unmoving, almost paralyzed. Beside the young man, the edge of a certain manager's spectacles gleamed.

* * *

End of Chapter 

* * *

Notes:

I know the 'Mio's Happy Ending' bit was quite corny.

I apologize for not updating more frequently. I am hesitating in uploading my work until after numerous editing and I end up still unsatisfied. But then I am afraid I'd forget my original plot and lose my fervor altogether if I stop updating and uploading new chapters. So I'm sorry if they're quite er- juvenile. Anyone interested in putting up with beta reading my work; I'd be really appreciative if you'd send me a PM.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: REALITY BITES

Disclaimer: I don't own SKIP BEAT!

* * *

Note: I'm back.. that's all.. Sorry if the story's getting a little weird. Don't worry, the alternate ending for Dark Moon is just a side story; pretty absurd really, but well I'm the one writing.. haha

* * *

Chapter 12: Mio's Happy Ending

The ensuing confusion was great. It's already Thursday and the next episode is due Tuesday the following week. The target of the production people is to finish filming by the coming Saturday. The rest of the editing and other additional work will be done before Tuesday. This chaos, however, cannot rival the one that occurred when the story for the additional episode was released. After all it is very rare for the anti-hero-ine to end up with the hero of the story. But then LME's president, outfitted into a convincing matador costume which fit his hairdo perfectly, stepped in and offered to double the number of the production staff for the filming of the project. And after which, he proceeded on congratulating the flustered director with teary eyes, saying: "This episode will be truly legendary!"

On Thursday morning, in their cast meeting set at 7am it was announced that the project will be collaboration between Ogata and the TV-newcomer Director Ayane. The older of the two directors waved at the rest of the cast merrily. The day before it has been announced that filming Right Behind You will resume after the additional episode of Dark Moon has been finished.

"I expect that you have well studied your parts based on the script. Director Ayane and I just made a few minor changes, but the rest will remain as is" Ogata announced. He looked a bit disheveled, with bags under his eyes, the stress of the last few days taking its toll. But despite his appearance, he was truly a happy man, happier in fact than how he's ever been in a long time – because he received a call from his father the night before, sending him his congratulations. The old man even sounded sincere. He had read the final script and said that he was happy with how they want the project to end.

"_Now you'll get to finish what I never finished, Hiro"; the old man hasn't called him using that pet name for 20 years._ This remembrance helped the young director endure the increasing quantity of sleepless nights.

"The first scene will be directed by Director Ayane. We have very limited time so I would count on your efficient performance, everyone!" he exclaimed.

The rest of the gathered crowd cheered. After a few more pointers, they were finally dismissed – the production crew proceeding to readying their equipment and the actors going to hair and make up.

Their two main characters, however, remained behind.

With trepidation, Ren approached his brooding kohai. "Kyoko?"

She flinched at the sound of her name. A slightly dark aura slowly started surrounding the two of them.

"Kyoko, look at me. What's wrong?" he still asked, gently.

Slowly, the entity faced him, her eyes dark and gloomy, and her lips continuously mumbling.

"What's the matter, Kyoko? Tell me" he commanded, shifting into a semi-Kuon mode.

This effectively caught her attention. His darkening stare made her shiver.

"A- a- anou, Tsuruga-saaaaannnnn" her voice trailed off, hitting lower notes.

Ren remained silent, thinking that he overdid hid Demon Lord act.

"Tell me, Kyoko, please" he begged.

She looked up at him, whimpered a little and sighed, her eyes going back to the ground.

"I just don't like this, Tsuruga-san. Why did they have to make Mio end up with Katsuki? Why didn't they let Mizuki live instead?" she asked

"Kyoko, Mizuki's character is dead. She's been dead since the final episode of Tsukigomori" he explained.

"But – but Mio is.. she is.."

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"She's not nice. And she's broken. Why would the audience like her? I'd bet if we go on with this episode, it will surely bomb. It will have zero rating"

Ren chuckled "Don't you remember? This story came from the ideas of the audience of Dark Moon. This is the ending they want to see" he reminded her patiently.

She remained silent, trying to process this information.

"Besides, it was you who said before that Mio is an ojou-sama. She's not the perfect ojou-sama, but then with this ending, she'll have her chance to change and be a better person"

Her eyes widened at this new discovery.

"They'll even fix her scar" he added.

She looked up at him, eyes filled with wonder.

Then her mood collapsed once again.

"No" she mumbled. "Mio won't ever be like that" she said with dread. She can't really say it out loud, but she feared that she can't produce a different Mio. Her Mio would always be scary, full of hate, cruel…

"Well, that's why Katsuki will have to help her" the tall actor answered. "It will be his role to help Mio change from a broken, scary girl to someone that people would love. That's what he promised Mizuki, after all"

She looked up at him, and there it is: a challenge in his eyes. For the first time, for real, they will actually act beside each other. She finally realized this and how stupid she was - whining at him. She must have really sounded so unprofessional. She almost got down to her knees but then he stopped her.

"Don't even start, Kyoko. Remember what Director Ogata said? We'll have to be efficient. Every minute we spend without doing anything productive is a waste" he said sternly.

She just nodded. He had successfully dispelled all her negative emotions. Once again, she began thinking he is somewhat magical.

"I think they'll need us in make-up and wardrobe right about now. Shall we?" he offered.

She smiled and they walked together. She's a little more hopeful now. He has effectively worked his magic on her once more.

* * *

Lory had instructed the construction of a very large tent at the side of the building where they will shoot their first few scenes. And thus the comfort of the actors and actresses as well as the production staff is ensured. Besides, his whole entourage, complete with camels and resplendent guards won't fit inside any of the rooms. Most of the production staff and minor actors who were not used to his cosplaying tried hard not ogle too much at the LME president currently dressed as a majarajah. According to talk, he is there to oversee the successful completion of the filming of the episode he so carefully crafted and put into motion.

As promised by the eccentric agency head, the number of the crew has been doubled, the locations for the shoot have been secured, and all the logistic requirements have been well taken care of. It is now up to the main cast to guarantee the success of the day's endeavor.

The day before, the station has released a statement that another and the real final Dark Moon episode will be aired in the coming week and the reception has been all too positive. The finale of the drama is predicted to top the primetime charts and smash the record of its predecessor to bits.

* * *

(Dark Moon excerpt)

**Scene 1: Reckoning  
**

A pair of feet walked the hallways of a dimly lit facility. As the owner of the feet passed by a window to his left, he stops on his tracks and looks out. The day is warm outside; the birds are chirping and the grass glisten with the fresh morning dew.

He walks on, occasionally checking the numbers placed on the doors. He stops in front of Room 207. His handsome face still bears traces of past pallor and the pain in his eyes has not been completely removed by the season that has passed. He knocks gently on the door. When he didn't hear any form of response, he slowly turns the knob and enters the room.

Inside, the room is spacious, walls painted white with minimal décor. In the middle is a single bed framed in mahogany. Beside it is a small bureau on top of which several books are placed. The French windows are open, causing the wind to blow in the feathery curtains.

He treads gently across the room though no one is asleep and the bed looks properly made. Before he reaches the other opening, he hesitates. They have not seen each other since that fateful night. He had rehearsed countless times all the words he would say to her. Now, he seems to have forgotten all of them.

He finally steps out onto the small balcony that comes with the room. She is standing there, her back to him, looking at the colorful garden at the side of the building. She stands tall and proud which only reminds him of her stately breeding. Still, he doesn't say a word.

"They said you would come" she speaks out, her voice as firm and sure as always.

Despite what she has gone through, her spirit remains strong. Perhaps it was because she grew up as an independent child, relying on her own devices and because at such a young age, she had more than her share of personal tragedies.

"Sorry if I only came now" he replies. He withdraws an envelope from his coat pocket.

"They've entrusted me with telling you about the state of your family's assets" he explains as he unfolds several sheets of paper.

"The remainder of your father's assets has been seized and investigated. They found out he had more debts than what he can pay off. He was being truthful when he declared bankruptcy. But then even before he did so, he had signed a will, giving you and your sister 20% of his holdings in the form of bonds. Another 20% of unliquidated assets will be under your disposition by the time you turn 18. You're only 17 now" he trails off, remembering some things that should be left unremembered. He can't help but be reminded of another young woman who should be celebrating her 17th birthday - _if only she wasn't…  
_

"As you're only 17 now, you still have to wait another few months before the court will release the assets to you. But then your sister—"

"She named you her sole beneficiary in the event of her untimely death. And so by default, you will receive her share of the 20%. The lawyers made some computations and they said it will be enough for you to last well into your 18th birthday. You can go back to school without difficulty. The courts had put the mansion up for sale. Since they cannot touch what your father has given you and your sister, they will use the revenue to pay off the rest of your father's debts while leaving your inheritance untouched".

"You're free now, Hongo-san. You can start anew."

She remains silent for a good five minutes.

"And my mother?" she asks him.

He takes a deep breath before answering. "She—your mother killed herself a few days ago after receiving her sentence"

He had testified against her mother. She was spared by the courts due to her condition. But if she wasn't recuperating in the hospital, they could have taken her and forced her to testify against her own mother. It was the confirmation from the bodyguard who shot her that finally convinced the judge that it was the Hongo matriarch who had taken the life of her own niece, Mizuki. Her father is now imprisoned, sentenced for being an accessory to homicide and for engaging in certain illegitimate businesses.

"I'm sorry, Hongo-san"

She remains silent as the wind blew her dark hair. He couldn't know if she is crying at that very moment. According to her doctors she frequently struggles in her sleep, crying for things lost and for innocence that can never be regained. One may think they are kindred spirits- both victims of hatred, envy, jealousy, and revenge. He too, has suffered many sleepless nights. He failed to save the only girl he loved. He failed to regain the honor of his family.

But he still has one vow he can fulfill. And he will not fail.

He will not fail her.

(End of excerpt)

* * *

"Cut" Director Ayane snapped. "Take 10 everyone".

The rest of the crew stumbled out of the room. A few hastily wiped tears from their eyes.

"That was brilliant, Tsuruga-san" the director commented as he approached Ren.

"Thank you, Director" the actor acknowledges and then peers at his co-star who hasn't left her position.

"I agree, Ren-kun, your acting was impeccable. I have nothing else to say" Ogata piped up, looking harassed but still manages to give both of them a winning smile.

Ayane huffed. "I'm a bit envious of you, Hiroaki. These actors perform almost too flawlessly in your production. I wish they perform with the same level of intensity and perfection in mine"

Ogata chuckles at this remark. "Well, unlike you my friend, I don't tend to pressure my actors too much. I just allow them to let their characters flow along naturally. I'd bet they'd be too harassed by your overly perfectionist ways they can't focus on their character development".

"Hah. They don't tell me to slow down so how can I? They never ask", Ayane grumbles.

The two directors exchange a few more minutes of cordial banter but Ren has already drifted away to stand beside his co-star.

When he looked at her, she's scrunching up her face, trying hard not to burst into tears.

"Are you okay, Kyoko?" he asked her.

She nods, her eyes still closed. Then she exhales loudly. "I've read the script but I haven't really prepared myself with all the emotions running through Mio"

He just let her continue as he studied her beautiful face, unmindful of the prosthetic scar that obscures most other half of it.

"I thought she was just evil – full of hate and thoughts of revenge. But then when she heard that her mother killed herself and her father is in prison, she almost broke down. I guess deep inside, a small part of her still loved them"

She finally opened her eyes and looked out into the distance. "I wonder if I am capable of forgetting as well – about my—"

She peeks at his face. He just returns her questioning gaze with that of expectation.

"I wonder if I can forget about my revenge—my revenge against Shotaro" she states, her voice a bit edgy when she said the singer's name.

He sighs. "I think you can. You're not meant to hate anyone forever. Your heart is too beautiful for that, Kyoko" he says wistfully.

She looks back at him and was glad that he's not looking back at her. Because her face is as red as a beet after hearing what he just said.

"Tsuruga-san, Kyoko-san, we're going to film the next scene in 15 minutes. The directors are waiting for you outside" a production staff calls out to them.

"Let's go?" Ren asks her. She nods and they walk out together.

* * *

(Dark Moon excerpt)

**Scene 2: Mizuki's Grave  
**

A frail hand lowers a bouquet of white lilies upon a gravestone. Like that day when he visited her a week ago, it was sunny and bright outside. Leaving the clinic, they went directly to the cemetery. She did not close her eyes in prayer, not even when she visited her mother's and her sister's grave. Away from the family plot, beside her own parents, Mizuki lays silent and in peace at last. Even until now, she can't help but feel a little envious. _Why_, she asks herself, _why did I live? Why does anyone have to die for me when I was the one who desperately wanted to disappear from the world?_ She looks at her companion, his eyes are closed. Unlike her, he still has some faith to the gods or to whoever he is praying to as he stands beside the grave of his beloved; his beloved who is dead because of her.

When he opens his eyes, she finally looks away. She doesn't want to see what those eyes hold against her. It's painful to even realize that she doesn't want to be hated by him.

"Perhaps we should go now, Hongo-san. You need to rest. I promised your doctors I wouldn't let you tire yourself too much" he says with a voice full of concern.

She nods in agreement and they both walk away towards the waiting car.

He had taken care of her belongings, had taken the time to pick-out an apartment in the same building as his own. All her legal documents have been placed inside a small folio inside her bag sitting beside her. The court has given him temporary guardianship over her until she turns 18. She almost laughed at the irony of it all. He used to be their family's greatest enemy but now he's officially taking care of her. She wonders what her sister would say to her now if she was alive.

Finally, the rental car drops them off in front of their apartment complex. He had been accepted as a professor in a nearby university and has started to build his the pieces of his life back together again. She used to think he was weak, controllable, a gullible man much like her father. But then he survived and he is now moving on.

He carries some of her luggage while leading her to the elevators. They don't have much to talk about so they remain silent as they ride up. When they reach her door, he opens it for her and leads her inside. The place is cozy, perfect for a young woman trying to live independently. There's a relatively large space for a combined living room and dining area, and a small pantry. He shows her the medium-sized bath and then leads her to her bedroom.

"I've asked your old housekeeper to arrange your things we salvaged from the mansion. I hope you'll be comfortable" he says.

There is no futon, instead, there's a single bed and a matching dresser. The walls are colored the lightest shade of blue.

"Did you pick the color?" she asks him.

He looks at her with a startled expression and nods reluctantly.

"It's her favorite color" she states.

He nods again.

Before he finally left, he stops her at the door. "Hongo-san"

She looks up at him, expectantly. She failed to avert her gaze and so his eyes meet hers for a long moment.

"May I call you Mio-san?" he asks.

Her eyes cannot betray her bewilderment.

"Please?" he asks and gives her that smile he used to favor her cousin.

She wants to slap him, threaten him, and mock him like she used to. But then she can't find her old will anymore. And so she steels her gaze away and nods almost imperceptibly.

"Goodnight, Mio-san. I'll see you in the morning" he says with another smile and then walks away.

"Why?" she asks out loud, her fists to her side. "Why are you doing this?" she hisses.

He stops in his tracks and without looking back at her answers: "Because I made a promise to take care of you Mio. And I am not going to fail this time"

"Why? She's already dead. She won't care! She won't know" she lets out in a strangled voice.

"But I know. You know. We both owe this to her – this hope, this life, this chance for happiness". He finally faces her again.

"You'll learn, Mio. I'll teach you. I'll teach you to stop hating yourself and others. And then we'll help each other to be happy"

"How can you forget so easily? I thought you—you loved her—" she trails off.

He closes his eyes and for a moment looks as if in pain. Then his brow settles and he finally answers her. "I do and I will love her forever. I will never forget. And by keeping my promise, I know I can repay her sacrifice- even just a little"

She stares at him defiantly. "And what if I refuse? What if I refuse to help you keep your promise?"

He chuckles. "Then I will not stop pestering you until you agree" he says as he returns beside her and unexpectedly envelopes her within his arms.

For the first time in her life, Mio cries in front of a man. And for the first time she does not feel so alone.

(End of excerpt)

* * *

Right after filming the second scene, they proceeded to the next location – a local college where Mio will be filmed attending school. They tried to make the most of the class hours, when the students are inside their classrooms and only a few people are milling about the campus. The scenes were short and with very few dialogues. In these scenes, Mio is being shown without her scar. The scar-removal scene with the doctors will be filmed later that day since the set will be indoors. Then there are scenes where she's approached by some of her classmates and where she reluctantly agrees to have lunch with them. Some scenes showed Katsuki observing Mio as she finally makes friends in the campus as well as scenes where they walked home together, with Mio smiling.

It was already 5 PM when the last major scene for the day was filmed. 

* * *

(Dark Moon excerpt)

**Mio narrates: **_I don't know when everything changed completely. Perhaps things progressed gradually and ever so slowly. But they did change and I realized that what they say about time is true – that it heals all wounds. Maybe not all, but most. The first few months I moved into my new apartment, I still had nightmares. Sometimes Katsuki-san would run down from his bunk and knock on my door. He somehow knew when I would be awake. I would let him in without a word and we would sit on my dining room without conversation. Sometimes he would ask me about school and I would answer him in short and clipped sentences. Those were very seldom, however. Most times we would just sip our teas and remain silent in each other's company until dawn breaks and he would leave to prepare for work. He never got tired. I decided to take the advanced exam so I can qualify for a high school diploma without going through my entire year as a senior. I passed. I didn't attend the graduation. He surprised me by giving me application forms for the university. He said I can afford studying whatever I want since I am already 18 and can now claim my inheritance – which proved to be just enough for me to finish a bachelor's degree while living a thrifty life. The summer of my freshman year I took a part-time job as a librarian. That's when I wrote my first story and won a prize for it. He gave a leather bound diary as a gift for my small success. The nightmares eventually stopped. He would still drop by sometimes, on sleepless nights and we would talk about the books I've read. I'm now on my third year and I've applied for an editorial job in a printing company.  
_

Mio shields her eyes from the afternoon glare as she waits outside a small café near the campus. She squint her eyes as she spots him walking towards their meeting place, still a distance away but already recognizable with his lean build and irregular height.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asks as he settles down across from her.

She shakes her head. "I was early" she states.

He orders black coffee and a croissant. After the waiter has left, he sets down a brown envelope in front of her.

She looks at him questioningly but he just motions for her to see what's inside the envelope herself. She gingerly peeks inside, her curiosity getting the most of her. The first page of the document bears her name and that of Enoki Printing Company. It's a contract.

"What is this?" Mio asks her grinning companion.

"It's a contract from Enoki Printing" he answers.

"Yes, I can read that. But why is my name written here?"

He looks at her sheepishly before proceeding to his explanation. "Well, I took the liberty of sending a compilation of your works to an editor I know from Enoki. He was truly impressed by your writing. I sort of acted as your agent and struck up a deal. They want to publish a compilation of your short stories. If you'd see the amount, it's pretty steep for an amateur writer"

"They are willing to publish your novel but we'll have to draft up another contract for that" he adds.

She looks at him with unbelieving eyes.

"You have talent, Mio. Why work as an editorial assistant when you can write and be paid for it?" he says to her as she alternately looks at the contract in her hands and his handsome face.

"But – how-? I can't really -" she blubbers.

He holds up his hand and pats her trembling ones "Just think about it okay? I'll give this to you. Read it when you get home and think about it. No matter what happens, your book will be published and you will be paid for it. Whether it bombs or becomes a complete success, you lose nothing" he looks into her eyes.

She can only nod as she returns the papers into the envelope.

"Also" he starts and she looks up at him with apprehension.

He chuckles. "Don't look at me like that, okay?" Then his face sets and becomes serious again.

"Also, I want to ask you-"

For a moment he looks as if struggling to find his words.

"Well, we've been seeing each other for almost 4 years now. I know I've moved on and so have you"

He looks straight at her.

"I think it's time that I ask you formally—"

Then he places a small velvet box in front of her. She stares at the thing for almost a full minute before he finally sighs and opens it for her.

"Hongo Mio, I want you to be my wife. Please marry me"

She gives him a tremulous gaze, tears threatening to spill out. "Why?"

He favors her with a tender look. She had gotten used to him looking at her like that. But never, never in her wildest dreams did she even think of him proposing to her. He loved Mizuki. He said he would love her forever. And she cannot match that. Never. She had been living a borrowed life. Her sufferings will never be enough to pay for her cousin's sacrifice. She stole his love away from him. _So why?  
_

"Because I love you" he answers her without looking away.

"I'm not her. I'm not Mizuki. And I will never be—"

Her rant is interrupted by his warm finger upon her lips. "I know, Mio"

"I don't love you because you're Mizuki. I love you because you're you. I love you because everyday you grow into someone beautiful and wonderful. We can never change the past, but we can make a future that will overshadow whatever was dark and lonely then"

"It's not about my promise to her any more. I've fulfilled my promise to your cousin a long time ago - when you finally had your scar removed and when you finally went to lunch with those noisy friends of yours" he explains with a smile. He moves his hand to cup her right cheek.

"I'm asking you out of entirely selfish reasons" he adds.

She looks straight into his eyes, searching their depths to verify her doubts. But his gaze is crystal clear and so is his heart.

(End of excerpt)

* * *

End of Chapter

* * *

Notes:

Whew.. long chapter.. eh? I finally got that out. Please let me know what you think.

Personal Note: I was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder (hurrah), though I think I've had it since I was in high school. When I stop writing that means I'm going through either a manic or a depressive phase. 


	13. Chapter 13

Title: REALITY BITES

Disclaimer: I don't own SKIP BEAT!

Note: Last chapter for Dark Moon side story. Finally…

* * *

Her thoughts seemed so far away, the make-up artist noted. She is so different from the cheerful and chatty young lady the rest of the cast and crew knew her to be. She wasn't brooding though, which is a good thing. When she broods, those in close proximity become petrified. Right now she is simply… not there.

"Uhm, Kyoko-chan, your hair is done" the make-up artist said kindly.

The lady wasn't really expecting that she would hear, but she suddenly stood up without a word and went to the side.

"She looks like she's in a trance" the wardrobe assistant whispered to the make-up artist.

"Yes. She's been like that since this morning. What do you think happened? Everything seemed fine yesterday. She and Tsuruga-san got no NGs" the makeup artist replied, also in a whisper.

The other lady sighed. "I wish I was her. That scene was just sooooo romantic…"

"Still, it's so weird. Looking at her now, you'd never guess she was that girl from yesterday".

The other murmured in assent.

On the other side of the tent, the subject of the conversation remained in her trance-like state, her mind a jumble of words and emotions.

* * *

_**The night before:**_

"Good night Tsuruga-san" she said, as she bowed to her senpai. Because the filming for the day finished late and the cast had to meet with the directors to discuss the filming for the following day, the actor convinced her that it would be best for him to take her home.

"It's nothing, Mogami-san. I'll be picking you up early tomorrow, as well, so take a good rest" he answered with his well modulated voice.

"Hai. You too. Please take care while driving" she said and then waved goodbye.

The actor waited a bit until she had safely entered the restaurant before finally driving away.

Kyoko was expecting that her exhaustion would send her to dreamland right away. But she was also concerned about the script for tomorrow, which she hadn't been able to read and memorize. She quickly changed into her pajamas, and after brushing her teeth and washing her face, she plopped down on her futon. She opened her script without much thought and began to read.

She was on the second paragraph – a narration to be voiced over by Katsuki – when everything finally sunk into her sleepy brain. She looked up from the manuscript and saw the new Ren-sama doll standing against the opposite wall, staring at her with what she dubbed as his 'heavenly smile'. And that was when she began to keen.

"Nooooooooooooo…."

* * *

_**Back to the present:**_

"Mogami-san.." someone spoke. She heard it but it seemed like she was underwater.

"Mogami-san.." there's the voice again.

"Kyoko" the voice called more forcefully and someone touched her shoulder lightly.

Her eyes began to focus, until she realized that she was looking at the same face she was looking at last night, right before she fell asleep. This face however, does not have that heavenly smile but a worried frown.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded slowly, reluctantly, as the mist upon her thoughts disappeared.

He sat down beside her. "I know something's bothering you. Won't you share it with me?"

She shook her head forcefully, still not making a sound.

He sighed. "Filming will start in 45 minutes. Are you sure you don't want to tell me? As long as you can assure me that this won't affect your performance later then I won't pry anymore" he said and stood up.

Her eyes widened and she took his arm abruptly before he could get away.

"Tsuruga-saaaaannnn…. " she pleaded, as tears finally spilled from her eyes.

* * *

(Excerpt from Dark Moon)

**Katsuki narrates: **

_I __never __thought __I__'__d __ever __love __again__ – __love __someone __with __the __kind __of __love __I __felt __for __the __girl __I __lost. __But __as __the __days __passed __I __realized __I __love __her __more __deeply __now __than __I__'__ve __ever __loved __her __dead __cousin. __I __tell __her __this __all __the __time __but __she __just __nods, __afraid __to __acknowledge __some __truths. __But __I __know __I __will __convince __her__ – __ever __so __slowly, __patiently__ – __like __how __I __convinced __her __to __marry __me._

_And as the seasons pass and the color of the leaves change, I thank my dead love more and more for bringing us together. If it weren't for her I wouldn't have known Hongo Mio: the scarred heiress, and if she hadn't died I wouldn't have discovered Mio: the gentle, loving person inside the broken shell. _

_It's spring now. Every year, without fail, we would visit the graves. We'd bring white lilies. She would silently commune with her lost family, lingering beside the grave of the teenage girl whose life she thought she'd taken. Then the kids would whine and we would have to go to the gardens for their promised picnic. _

A boy of about 4 years came running towards his father. Anyone looking would know that the two are related. The boy inherited his father's long limbs and the man's mesmerizing eyes. Most people say that he is destined to make many girls cry. But as of the moment, he is just a boy - mischievous and carefree, as he jumped on his father's waiting arms.

Not very far behind, a girl who is a bit older than the boy came, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"Okaa-san look at what Daisuke did to my dress!" she wailed, her voice shrill and quivering, as she lifted the left side of her skirt for everyone to see. The portion of the pale blue dress is covered in mud.

The boy giggled. "That wasn't my fault. You were the one who followed me" he retored good-naturedly.

The girl finally cried "I told you not to go there. I was worried you'd break a leg. And now look what happened!"

A woman, who undoubtedly is their mother stood up from her perch, closing the book she was reading a moment ago. She gives a stern look at the little boy, who gulped audibly.

"And where exactly did you go, Daisuke?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

The boy finally stilled in his father's arms and looked at his mother with pleading eyes. "I told her not to come down, 'Kaa-san. I was just gonna' catch some fish"

His mother suddenly looked perplexed. "What fish?"

"Fish. From the river. I was gonna give them to you to cook for dinner" Daisuke grinned.

"I told him he can't catch fish without a rod" the girl added.

"But I had a worm. I was gonna give the fish so it will come to me" he answered back, looking at her sister with utter seriousness.

"You are so gross!" the girl shrieked.

"Break it" said the stern voice of their mother. "Nobody's going fishing without permission. Is this understood?" she remarked, looking at the boy with warning. The boy nodded as his father only looked at him with amusement while his sister favored everybody with a smug expression.

"And you, young lady" (the girl jumped in surprise from her mother's tone, which elicited another giggle from her brother) "you should have called your Otou-san. That river's dangerous. You could have drowned"

The little girl can only bow her head in response. "Now come here at let me take care of that dirt" her mother beckoned and then started to fuss over her daughter.

From the corner of their picnic blanket, the two males of the family stared at their women. They are both lovely - with ebony hair that run down their backs, pale and creamy complexions, eyes that shine with laughter, and they move ever so gracefully.

"You know, I almost caught one, 'Tou-san" the boy, Daisuke whispered to his father.

Katsuki looked down at his son and smiled wistfully "Of course. Next time we'll bring some fishing rods" he answered in a conspiratorial tone. "But don't tell the girls. They don't like earthworms".

Daisuke rolled his eyes, agreeing with his father.

"Daisuke" his mother called, holding her hand out to him. He smiled and disentangled himself from his father's strong arms. He passed by his older sister who gave him another glare (as all pissed off sisters would) and jumped right into his mother's embrace.

"And you, my naughty boy, ought to be punished" Mio also known as Okaa-san, growled, and Daisuke squeaked as he tried to get away from the punishment that was coming. But he was still so small and within a minute, he has been caught by the dreaded tickle monster.

Katsuki cleared his throat and Mizuki looked up at him. He winked and then they simultaneously dived into the fun.

(The view slowly expands, displaying the trees and the other parts of the garden while the family played - their soft giggles and happy sighs can still be heard in the background. End of excerpt.)

A full minute passed as the entire crew and several onlookers watched the 'family' playing on the grass, tickling each other, the children laughing with delight. All of them can't help but smile with childlike wonder, completely immersed in the scene unfolding before them.

Then someone blew his nose loudly.

Director Ogata looked behind him, at the LME president in medieval knight costume. The older man looked at him apologetically. "I'm so sorry Director Ogata, I can't help myself. This -" he motioned before him at the scene still playing, "—this is just so, so touching". He sniffed and dabbed at the corners of his eyes.

Ogata sighed. Once again, his actors have entirely captured all the attention. He hated to end this wonderful scene before him, but they already have all the clips they need for the last and final episode.

"CUT!" he shouted without enthusiasm but loud enough to be heard by everyone. The cameramen looked at him with disdain, as if angry for his intrusion. Some of the ladies in the crew wiped away tears of joy, while the rest clutched their chests. From the other side of the field Director Ayane looked back at him with a boyish smile on his face and gave him a wink.

Ogata took a deep breath, anticipating the inevitable. "Okay, everybody, it's a wrap!" he shouted, much louder than before, clapping his hands once.

And as if on cue, the rest of the staff, crew, and the other actors behind the scenes clapped their hands in response. A minute passed and several hoots and whistles escaped from the group. Another minute and their lead actor stood up, with his on-screen son in his arms. His on-screen daughter had brushed off the grass from her skirt and began clapping with everyone else. While his on-screen wife looked around, with the most adorable smile.

* * *

_I __am __really __lucky, _Kyoko thought, as she looked at her co-stars. Just earlier that day she had been a whimpering mess, unable to figure out how she can act out another, more foreign aspect of Mio's character. But as always, there was her senpai. He listened patiently as she cried her eyes out (the makeup artist had to redo her face all over again after that was over) and they had to restrain her from doing her fifth dogeza that morning. In between her numerous apologies, she explained to her senpai how she barely got a wink of sleep the night before and how horrified she felt when she first read the script for the last scene where she will have to play a much older Mio who is a wife and mother.

She waited for her senpai's form of verbal discipline, but it did not come. What he gave her was a look that she had seen a couple of times before, and which she labeled '_the__thoughtful__look_'.

"I understand your predicament, Mogami-san" he answered as she waited there trembling. "You're barely 18 and don't know a thing about being a mother. Actually, I had the same problem last night. Remember, I'll be playing the kids' father alongside you".

_Of __course! __How __could __I __forget? __What __kind __of __selfish __kohai __am __I? __Here __I __am __thinking __about __myself __while __my __senpai __is __facing __his __problem __head __on. __I__'__m __useless. _She suddenly felt even worse.

"I'm going to share to you my technique, then" he added.

She sat up straight, waiting to hear the rest of his explanation.

"Do you like children, Mogami-san?"

She thought about that a bit. "Uhm, not really. I'm generally fine around them – at least not like Moko-san… she hates kids – but I'm not overly fond of them either".

"Maria is a kid, you know" Tsuruga-san said with a smile.

"But Maria-chan's… different. She's almost like a grown-up" she replied.

"Yes, but what do you feel for Maria? It must be something different from what you feel for Kotonami-san or Amamiya-san, right?"

She thought about it earnestly. "Uhm, well.. I like them all very much. But I think I'm more protective when it comes to Maria-chan, like I watch the things I tell her else she misunderstands. And she's more playful and… and affectionate to me, minus the awkwardness" she answered.

Her senpai nodded. "I think for children, parents feel a gentle protectiveness, an urge to shelter them from the world and the bad things in it. But, children also allow parents to be like them in some ways – a little foolish, playful, naive", he added while she listened with rapt attention.

"Is this how you figured out what to do with your Katsuki?" she asked him.

He nodded. But for a tiny bit, she glimpsed a painful expression underneath his composed façade. But it disappeared too fast for her to think too much about it. "Well, yes.. that and my childhood. My parents were the most affectionate people I have ever known" he said with a look that is both sad and wistful.

"I'd bet your parent's are like Kuu-otou-san!" she exclaimed. She felt really close to him now, the real him and not some character like Cain.

The actor cleared his throat before he answered. "Maybe".

That was earlier, when she had barely figured out what to do. She never imagined that the entire scene would be finished in just one take. She looked at her tall senpai standing beside her as the crowd cheered around them. _No __matter __how __fast __I __grow, __I __can__'__t __seem __to __catch __up __to __him._ If not for Tsuruga-san, she would have been revealed as the talentless person that she was. But oddly, she felt good about losing to him, even just a little bit. She smiled. _There __will __be __other __opportunities. __I __will __try __my __hardest __to __beat __you __senpai__… __next __time._

The two directors had finished watching the raw output. She can see their nods of approval from where she is standing.

As the cheers and exclamations started to abate, Director Ayane came over to her.

"Well, I was definitely right in choosing you two for the lead in my drama" he said.

She just realized that her senpai was still standing beside her. She got so caught up in the numerous praises and congratulations, she had become too oblivious to her surroundings.

Recovering, she bowed deeply to the director. "I am honored to have worked with you in this project, Director".

"We wouldn't have this chance if not for Director Ogata's trust" the tall actor replied.

"Hai!" Kyoko added enthusiastically as she straightened up. "Director Ogata trusted me despite my being new in the acting industry and despite my many shortcomings" she added, remembering the time she ran away from filming to have her hair returned to its original color and the looks everyone gave her when she returned. Only her senpai and Director Ogata welcomed her wholeheartedly. Looking back, she almost lost the chance to show the world her talent and to act alongside her senpai. But it ended well, after all which made her even more grateful.

"Of course, of course! But believe me when I say that actors like the two are hard to come by. And a director's life will be considerably easier if he had actors he can trust to deliver the best performance. That's why I'm happy and excited. I too, will soon get my chance to see you two bring my characters to life" he answered.

"Though the pressure's really hard" he added, scratching his beard "with the current ratings of Dark Moon and this last episode… we have our work cut out for us, eh?" He ended up grinning at them, which seemed to tell them that he didn't mind the pressure at all.

"Well, I will see the two of you on Thursday for our shoot!" he said and clapped Ren at the back. He walked away only to assault the other Director with congratulations.

"You did well, Mogami-san".

Kyoko turned to face her senpai and bowed to him as well. "I wouldn't have pulled it off if not for your guidance, Tsuruga-san. Your technique really worked!"

He was smiling at her, really smiling, when she looked up again, which made her heart beat a little faster than before.

"I only gave you some pointers, but it was your execution that did it" he answered.

"Well, I also thought a little of the Okami-san and – and Fuwa-san" she said that last part a little softer, afraid of his reaction. But his smile did not waver.

"Oh? Then probably, you have already discovered your own technique".

She blushed at the intensity of his gaze and his praise. "Uhm—maybe. Though I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't shared yours. So, thank you!" she said, bowing again just to avoid his eyes.

He chuckled.

A man cleared his throat and she turned around to find a medieval knight.

"I am so impressed with you two!" the President exclaimed. "I am so happy. This is a dream come true!" he gushed.

They can only stare at him.

"I am sure the final episode will be a real hit. It will destroy all the records. It will be remembered in history!"

Kyoko smiled, though she thinks that the president's enthusiasm is too much. "Thank you for your support, Mr President" and bowed to him.

"Ah.. no need to thank me. I should thank you for showing your talent. We are yet to see the best from you, Mogami-kun. And you, Ren, you have grown as an actor as well, through this drama. I am very much impressed"

"Thank you, Sir"

The president's armor clicked and clanged as he stood up straighter. "Farewell then, for now. I have many affairs to settle. But I will see you soon" he said in a formal tone and then he turned away with much noise. But before he can walk away too far, he turned his head around and said "And Ren, I will need you to escort an old friend of ours who will be arriving here in Japan by Thursday. I believe that would please her immensely". Then he winked and was gone.

Though she cannot see, Kyoko felt a sudden coldness creeping into her bones. She peered behind her to confirm. Tsuruga-san looked like he had just been doused by cold water.

She hated to pry and give him a reason to be offended, but she so wanted to help him after what he did for her just that morning.

"Tsuruga-san, are you alright?" she asked meekly. She can see his sudden effort to change his expression, but as he faced her directly, she can still see some signs that he is indeed troubled.

"I'm fine, Mogami-san. I think we should go change now. Shall we?" he answered, effectively discouraging her to question him further.

She nodded.

In just one moment, she suddenly felt sad. _Who __might __it __be __to __cause __him __to __look __that __troubled?__And __why __wouldn__'__t __he __want __to __tell __me?__ I __was __honest __to __him __when __he __asked __me __earlier __about __my __problem __and __I __was __even __so __embarrassed. __It__'__s __not __fair- _she shook her head to drive away the thoughts. She should just feel grateful for the good things that happened thus far. It would be presumptuous to exptect _THE Tsuruga Ren_ to tell her about his feelings – she being a mere kohai and talento.

But she looked at him again and felt a little ache in her chest.

* * *

End of Chapter 13

* * *

Note: Yeah, yeah.. lame chapter. There's more to come and I hope to make up for all the disappointment I've caused. Please tell me what you think.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat!

Before I started writing this chapter, I read through chapters 1 to 13 (because I sort of forgot some of the names I gave the other characters and when I should continue). And reading through some of the things I wrote, especially in the earlier chapters, I couldn't help but do multiple face palms. Most parts screamed "JUVENILE!" at me. But it was never my habit to go back and change things because I also want to know whether or not I have improved as I continued to write the story (and also this would erase most of the precious reviews you gave!). So there… I'm sorry if some parts of this story would make you cringe or cluck your tongue in disappointment. I really am. I will try to get better.

* * *

Chapter 14: And then SHE arrives

She worried about him. They would be filming some scenes together today and it was the first time that he did not offer to pick her up on his way to the filming location. It was a good thing, she told herself, because she didn't want to burden him more than she already had and she didn't want to develop a habit of relying on him too much. After all, she promised herself that she would learn to stand on her own. Also, she had no right to impose on him or demand his time and attention. He was a very busy man and she is just his lowly kohai, nothing more.

"Are you ready, Kyoko-chan?" Director Ayane asked. Startled, she nodded in response and willed herself to rid her mind with thoughts of him. She had been briefed earlier. The first scene they will film for today is the one when Aiki and Keiji meet for the first time – in a ticketing booth at the subway station. The crew created a set that looks like a real ticketing booth – beside the actual train tracks – on an area that was used as a waiting lounge of sorts. To discourage spectators, the place was cordoned off and guards have been posted to regulate all forms of traffic.

To her right, the extras are finishing up their preparations. They were dressed like normal people, like day-to-day travelers who only worry about catching the train to work or to school, so they can do what they do every day, living uneventful, normal lives.

She closed her eyes and let the noise of her surroundings slowly fade into a sort of an inhibited roar, a blur, to coax Aiki out of her shell. She got a little distracted when she overheard one of the crew telling Director Ayane that their lead actor has not yet arrived – 30 minutes after his call time. Feeling embarrassed and unprofessional, she took a deep breath and continued her transformation.

Aiki opened her eyes, just as the Director started telling everyone to get into position.

"Is Tsuruga-san ready?" Director Ayane shouted over the noise.

"He'll be out in a minute! He just arrived!" the Assistant Director answered from the wardrobe area.

True enough, after a few moments, their lead actor finally came out looking perfect in an impeccable chocolate brown suit.

Her heart lurched at the sight of him. Recently, it had been doing that a lot and she felt like she was on the brink of a very dangerous revelation.

Ren nodded towards the director who replied with an equally serious nod of his own. Then he fell in line with the rest of the extras. Choosing the one leading to the booth where she was seated.

The crew waited for the train to pass before they began capturing the first scene. Keiji stood taller that the rest of the passengers. Some women, without being cued, took notice as he moved along the line. When he reached the counter, he said "good morning" before he accepted his ticket – making her stop and stare at him longer than what was appropriate. Finally, she was able to release the ticket to his waiting hand and watched as he walked away.

"Cut!" Ayane shouted. "Kyoko-chan that was perfect! Now let's go to the next set!"

_Damn, _she thought, _I wasn't even acting. _From the moment he said "good morning", Aiki left the scene. Her expressions were purely Kyoko – the breath hitching, the hands trembling, as their fingers brushed lightly. Plus, there's that lingering look as he turned away.

With one smile and that look, he defeated her. Again. _Damn. Where has my perfect Aiki gone to?_

* * *

Unbeknownst to his kohai, Ren was equally worried about her. When he saw her, she looked tired – with dark rings around her eyes. Though it looked well with her character, it was still worrisome. He should have picked her up this morning. It pained him to not be by her side, yet he didn't want to burden her with his own troubles, knowing that she could easily detect the slightest change in his temperament.

For the first time in his career, he was actually late. He wasn't able to sleep the night before – wondering what Lory intended to do, why the love-addicted president was purposefully trying to destroy his meager chances with Kyoko. The man could have hired a local actress, as it was just a supporting role… instead, he hired a model, a woman who had a connection with him in the past. Only Lory knew about this connection. Wanting to find out about the president's intentions, he went to LME to visit him and ended up having quite a heated conversation – which resulted to him and arriving on set late.

He sighed as he got in the train. The next scenes would follow him traveling to Keiji's place of work. At the next stop over, another camera crew would be waiting to film his exit from the train and his entrance to the bank where his character worked as a manager.

As the train crept to its destination, he thought about Kyoko. She would be waiting for her next scenes at the hotel. They couldn't even spend time together during breaks. _This is going to be one long day..._

Beside the cameraman, Director Ayane nodded in approval. He liked what he saw – the lead actor's inner turmoil straining to break away from his cool façade. _There is hope for him yet_, he thought, fighting the smirk that is threatening to appear on his face.

* * *

She could hear their murmurs. Pretty soon someone will approach to get her autograph or take a photo. She sighed inwardly and concentrated on what lies ahead when she finally reaches her destination. She would be seeing him again! After 2 years, she would see his face – feel his warm gaze fall upon her. Even in Taiwan, he was popular. She never missed a single gossip or any bit of news about Japan's number one male celebrity. _Ren._

_My Ren._

* * *

It was already late afternoon when Ren finally met up with the rest of the cast members. Tomorrow will be a break for filming and Director Ayane requires that all staff, crew and artists plan before the next filming date to ensure efficiency. And so at 4pm, he found himself walking towards the old hotel where the rest of his colleagues have filmed their scenes. He rubbed his temples, feeling weary from the lack of sleep the night before and a whole day of filming at two different locations. The only positive thing about this whole meeting is that Kyoko will be there – finally he would get the chance to talk to her, see how she's doing with her character. Perhaps he can take her out to dinner. The idea made him smile.

Then his phone rang.

"Hello, Ren. It's me", came the President's introduction before he even had a chance to say anything.

"Hello, President. I'm on my way to Director Ayane's post-filming briefing. May I inquire as to the nature of this call?"

"She's here. She's arrived. Yashiro informed me earlier that you won't get off until around 6 today so I asked Sebastian to pick her up. She will be staying at the mansion until you come for her".

_Shit._ There was silence on both ends of the line.

"I see" he answered, trying to hide his irritation.

"I'll be there by quarter past 6" he finally answered and then hung up.

Yashiro looked up at him. "Was that the President?"

"Yes".

"Erm—did he schedule another meeting?" the manager asked worriedly.

"No. Look, is it okay if you send yourself home tonight? I have to – take care of something…" he trailed off.

His manager continued to stare at him with curiosity. "No problem, Ren. Are you sure you're alright?"

He nodded in response, though he very well knew that Yashiro can tell he was still troubled. "I think it would be best if you'd take Mogami-san with you. You can share a cab with her and send her home".

"Sure. You just tell her you won't be coming with us". It sounded like a scolding to him. To Yashiro, it would have been a great disappointment for him not to send his kohai home. And it is. It truly is – especially now… and especially for something as complicated as this.

He sighed as they entered the building.

The meeting was in the conference room. As they entered, he saw that everyone else has gathered and were waiting for their arrival.

"Ah, there they are!" the Director exclaimed, seeing him enter.

He immediately scanned the room for a familiar pair of golden hued eyes. He spotted her beside the Assistant Director. And she was looking at him with something similar to relief etched on her face. He wanted to smile but he remained impassive – knowing full well the ill effects of showing too much of his true feelings.

"Sit down. Sit down" Ayane instructed excitedly and he complied, sitting right across from his lead actress, who has resumed browsing through her script book.

The Director's smile was wide and genial as he began his briefing. "Well, firstly I want to congratulate you all for a job well done today! We actually finished on time, had minimal retakes and both our lead actors as well as our supporting cast were marvelous". The rest of the people gathered around the big conference table applauded and cheered.

"Tomorrow, we will not be seeing each other. But I trust that come the next day, you will be here at the designated call time and ready to resume filming of the rest of episode 1".

"I have a few more reminders here.." Ayane rattled off some pointers from his list. As the director did so, his gaze wandered back to her face. She must have had a break earlier and conversed with the director. She had more color on her cheeks now as compared to earlier. Still, he worried about the diminished luster in her eyes.

As if feeling his thoughts, she actually met her gaze… and blushed.

He wanted to say sorry, wanted to tell her everything in his mind. But he couldn't. Not now. He had been working his way closer to her and he had hoped that being with her in another drama would finally give him a better chance. But with what is coming, he was suddenly unsure. _Why would it matter if she found out? It's not like she's going to act all jealous? Not her. She doesn't look at you that way, remember? Not yet…_

So instead of giving her a reassuring smile, he looked back at the director. He decided it would be better that he take care of this himself. There's no need to involve her. _Right._

* * *

_What have I done wrong this time?! Oh no! Was it because of that – that touch earlier today? I didn't mean it to go that way? Or maybe there was something wrong with my acting? _She tried to remember every detail of the day that has passed. All she could think of was the scene at the ticket booth. That was the only time they were together. And she could think of no other reason for him to act this way towards her AGAIN. He only does this whenever she had done something wrong.

But, he had been acting aloof since yesterday, after the President said something. Could it be that it wasn't because of her but because of what the president said? But why couldn't he look at her? She could only conclude that it was her fault. _You keep disappointing him, Kyoko. Not only do you act like some child who always depends on his advice, but you also keep disappointing him with your sub-par acting. _She sighed and finally averted her gaze.

"Do you have any more questions, then?" Director Ayane asked. She looked up to him. She had actually drifted off while the Director was discussing their schedule for the next shoot. So unprofessional. Perhaps she could ask her senpai… _No! That would be too much for today!_ She shook her head. She would have to talk to Director Ayane to catch up. She would apologize first. The next time she would really pay attention and stop thinking about useless things.

"Well then, if you don't have any more concerns, let us see each other the day after tomorrow!" And with that, they were dismissed.

She stood up, finding the courage to approach the director when Yashiro-san caught her attention.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan! How are you?" the manager asked cheerfully.

She smiled tentatively, looking around for her senpai.

"Oh Ren won't be going with us, sorry" the bespectacled man answered. "He had to run an errand for the President. But he asked me to send you home". Then he smiled, looking embarrassed.

"You don't have to Yashiro-san! I can go home on my own!" she protested. Why does she feel quite disappointed?

"Nah. Ren will strangle me to death – I mean will get angry at me if he finds out I didn't send you home. He made me promise. Okay?" Yashiro replied a little too eagerly.

She smiled. She was relieved that he still remembered her. Something urgent must have come up which made him leave so soon. "Hai. But can I talk to the Director first?"

"Sure. Take your time".

She turned around to look for the Director, but not without throwing another brief glance at the door, hoping she would at least get a glimpse of her senpai leaving.

* * *

The double doors to the mansion's spacious tea room opened. She turned around, excitement flowing through her veins. And then he was there; even more handsome than when she saw him last. He must have grown even taller and more muscular, but his face was as she remembered it. Beautiful.

And all of sudden, she was a child again. She ran to him and jumped into his strong arms. "Ren!"

He couldn't help it. Suddenly he was standing there stiffly. He was not expecting that the ever so poised Eliza Lee would jump him so needlessly, much like how Maria would do it. But it was not cute, not endearing. He did not feel a thing. Two years ago, he thought he might have broken his heart because of her leaving. But surprisingly, it didn't. And shortly after that, he found his true love and that was that. Eliza became just one of 'those girls'. And even now, with her arms around him, he felt no different. She was not Kyoko. Everything has changed.

"Hello, Eliza", he answered, detaching his tall frame from her.

He saw her smile begin to falter.

"Ren. I'm so happy to see you!" she persisted.

He just smiled wearily. "Welcome back to Japan".

She smiled again. She was beautiful – with shapely legs, small waist, slim arms and a tiny face. She was perfect.

"I asked the President to give you a day off tomorrow. I want you to show me around Tokyo. I haven't been here in ages" she exclaimed gracefully while pulling his hand towards the sofa.

"You know I can't do that, Eliza. My commitments have been etched in stone months in advance. My clients would kill me and the President knows that", he answered calmly as he followed her.

"Hmm.. Not even for old time's sake?" she said with a pout. "Well, how about tomorrow night? Surely you don't have any engagements then. You're finished with Dark Moon. Your schedule must be more flexible now. Please Ren?"

He sighed. "I'll check with my manager and let you know".

She giggled and held his hand. "So, will you take me now to my hotel? The president left – he was talking about taking out Maria-chan for dinner" she said. "I think that was his granddaughter".

_Maria. Maria had been too little when he and Eliza had been together. But now, when she finds out – well that would be quite a show._ "Okay. I will just send a message to the president that I have come to pick you up".

"Great. I'll call Sebastian for my things!" and she sauntered off towards the door.

He ran his hands through his hair. It had been a long day and it would be an even longer night. Lory had entrusted her to his care. He was not irresponsible to just let her be without company. It was impolite. He would bear this for now. But the prospect of not seeing Kyoko for the next 24 hours is already taking its toll.

* * *

"Corn" she whispered. "Are you there? I know you are. You're the only one who never leaves". She sighed. It felt like a weight is pressing upon her chest – that something, some dreadful thing is coming. She had checked her locks and even added a few more. She had thought them reinforced. They are, aren't they?

It had been months since she held her Corn stone. "Why do I feel like this? What is this?" she whispered again, softly caressing the stone between her palms.

She closed her eyes. Corn would make her feel better. She had to be in the Box-R shoot early tomorrow and cannot waste precious time for sleep feeling sorry for herself – sorry for something that wasn't even there.

* * *

She had left him, cold. Eliza fumed. She had tossed all her clothes on the bed. She was like a puppy who pleaded for his attentions. But he wasn't the same. Yes. He had been stoic when they were still officially together – he was never much of a romantic, not when he didn't want to be at least. But she used to able to seduce him, to get what she wanted from him. This time, he had acted so… so indifferent. She screamed. Is it true? What the rumors said about _that girl_ and him?! It can't be. It can't be.

She switched on the television and browsed the channels to get her mind off of things. They would be together tomorrow night, after all. He promised. And she will not leave him alone. One channel caught her attention – _Ren's drama._ It was the last episode of Dark Moon. She watched as the only man she loved played out a scene with the dark haired girl. The looks he gave _that girl_ – she had never seen that before on his face. Not even when they were still together.

She touched the screen with her delicate hands. "What happened to you, Ren? What happened?"

* * *

End of Chapter 14

* * *

Note: I say screw the timeline! Ahaha.. Sorry. The timeline will be quite confusing from now on and I apologize in advance. Anyway, I don't want to be overly OC about all of it. Now I'm just writing what I feel. No more overthinking – it damages the brain. Also, I didn't mean Eliza to be some creepy ex-girlfriend. It's just that from here on, everything will be a little darker. Not too dark. Just a little bit. Okay. See you next chapter!


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